Vienna/Qatar 17 February 2011 - As the Gulf area increasingly becomes a target for organized crime and a transit route for drug trafficking, Yury Fedotov, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today met Mr. Abdullah bin Naser bin Khalifa al Thani, Minister of State for Internal Affairs, to address regional threats.
Qatar is host to the Gulf Criminal Information Centre (GCIC). Within this structure, UNODC is providing technical assistance to build the capacity of Gulf countries in information software in order to tackle organized crime in the region in a coordinated, intelligence-driven manner. Mr. Fedotov praised the GCIC and said that he sought to promote linkages to the new strategic focus on Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries.
Being a regional leader in the fight against corruption, Qatar is an important partner of UNODC. In 2009 Qatar hosted the Third session of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which adopted a Review of Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and made a voluntary donation to the financing of the Mechanism. Doha will also welcome the 13 th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2015.
Mr. Fedotov met Attorney-General Awad Al Mary to thank him for his country's valuable support and to discuss plans for the establishment of the Doha Anti-Corruption and Integrity Centre.
For more information please contact : In Abu Dhabi, Hatem Aly, Representative, GCC Office, (+971-56) 123-5951
In Vienna : Preeta Bannerjee, Public Information Officer, (+43-699) 1459-5764,preeta.bannerjee@unodc.org
