VIENNA, 3 December (UN Information Service) - Germany today pledged more than US$3.5 million to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in order to strengthen its capacity to fight some of the most serious manifestations of organized crime.
Germany - which is a major donor to UNODC - pledged US$2.1 million towards UNODC's work in helping States to strengthen the legal response to terrorism. It also pledged US$1.4 million towards UNODC's criminal justice programme in Eastern Africa that is helping states - like Kenya and the Seychelles - to address the threat posed by piracy. This is in addition to pledges of US$2.7 million that they have already made to the two programmes.
Because of its funding structure, UNODC is heavily reliant on voluntary contributions. These pledges bring Germany's total contribution to UNODC in 2009 to US$12.4 million, a 50 per cent increase over last year. "Germany's generous support enables the United Nations to better assist some of the most vulnerable countries in the world to face the threat posed by crime and terrorism", said UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa.
Germany's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, Rüdiger Lüdeking, praised UNODC's leadership and approach to fighting piracy in Eastern Africa, and the work of the Office's Terrorism Prevention Branch.
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