16 December - Security Council Meeting on "Trafficking in Persons in Situations of Conflict"
Mr. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, briefed the Security Council at its 758 th meeting on the issue of Trafficking in Persons in Situations of Conflict. Mr. Fedotov reaffirmed UNODC's commitment to protecting the rights of victims and noted that UNODC had assisted more than 60 countries, through its global programme against human trafficking, so as to enable Governments in implementing the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocols. Ms. Nadia Murad Basse Taha, a Yazidi survivor who was trafficked by ISIS, also testified before the Council. The full webcast of the meeting can be found here.
14-24 December 2015 - Exhibition on "Protecting Cultural Heritage" at UNHQ
Co-organized by Italy, Jordan, UNESCO, INTERPOL and UNODC, the special exhibition at UNHQ was part of the "Protecting Cultural Heritage" initiative launched in September 2015 by the five partner entities. The exhibition was officially opened by the Ambassadors of Italy and Jordan on 15 December.
14 October 2015
The " Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015" was launched in New York by the Office, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan on 14 October at a High-Level Event moderated by Simone Monasebian, Director of the New York Office. The Survey, done in partnership with Afghanistan's Ministry of Counter-Narcotics (MCN) presented detailed information on the location and extent of opium cultivation, potential opium production and the socio-economic situation in rural areas. The full webcast of the event can be watched here.
17 September 2015 - Security Council 7526th Meeting
UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, briefed the UN Security Council on Afghanistan's efforts to confront opium production and trafficking, stressing the importance of acknowledging the postive steps taken. The webcast can be watched here.
7 October 2015 - High Level Presentation of the Nelson Mandela Rules
Ms. Simone Monasebian, Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), moderated the high-level meeting which presented the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules. The event consisted of a high-level segment with ministerial and senior UN participation to celebrate the upcoming adoption of this landmark advancement in the normative framework applicable to the treatment of prisoners. It also featured technical level panel discussions on key issues of prison management and penal reform, and on good practice examples from the national and regional levels. The event included introductory remarks by H.E. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the General Assembly; H.E. Oh Joon, President of UN Economic and Social Council; Mr. Yury Fedotov (per video message), Executive Director of UNODC; Mr. Dmitry Titov, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions (DPKO); and Mr. Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights (OHCHR).
2 October 2015 - High-Level Briefing on the Preparations for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem
Organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), this high-level event updated Member States on the preparations for the UNGASS 2016 on the World Drug Problem. The briefing also presented an important platform to discuss the status of preparations for the UNGASS as well as side events. The event was moderated by Ms. Simone Monasebian, Director of UNODC New York. The list of speakers included H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the General Assembly, Mr. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, and H.E. Amb. Khaled Shamaa, Chair of the UNGASS Board.
30 September 2015 - High Level Event on Women, Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice and the Post-2015 Development Agenda
UNODC, together with the Permanent Missions of Qatar, Italy and Thailand organized a special High-Level hosted a High-Level Lunch event on "Women, Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice and the Post-2015 Development Agenda", on the sidelines of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly. Speakers included the President of the 70th United Nations General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft; the wife of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mrs Ban Soon-taek; Academy Award winning actress and UNODC Goodwill Ambassador, Mira Sorvino, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning, Amina Mohammed, and other dignatories. In his welcome remarks, Mr. Yury Fedetov, Executive Director of UNODC stressed the need for crime prevention and criminal justice responses, that include, engage and protect women, all key aspects of the SDGs.
27 September 2015 - Ministerial-Level launch of the partnership project "Protecting Cultural Heritage - an Imperative for Humanity": Acting together against the destruction and trafficking of cultural property by terrorist groups and organized crime
The Permanent Missions of Jordan and Italy together with UNESCO, INTERPOL and UNODC co-organized a High-Level meeting on the destruction and trafficking of cultural property by terrorist and organized crime groups. The event launched a major initiative on the protection of cultural heritage and property from destruction and trafficking by terrorist and organized crime groups. This meeting was the first of a series of round tables, which will culminate in a high-level meeting during the annual General Debate of the UN General Assembly in September 2016. More information about the initiative can be found here.
26 June 2015 - Launch of the 2015 World Drug Report
The World Drug Report 2015 was presented to Member States on Friday, 26 June by UNODC in New York, during the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The launch featured opening remarks by UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, followed by a presentation of the report and a Q&A/comments session with participants from the floor.
The World Drug Report, published annually by the UNODC, provides an annual global overview of the latest developments with respect to illicit drugs. Chapter 1 of the 2015 report, presenting a comprehensive picture of the world's illicit drug markets, also focuses on the impact of illicit drugs on health, and reviews the scientific evidence on approaches to drug use prevention and addresses general principles for effective responses to treatment for drug use. Chapter 2 focuses on how alternative development aims to break the vicious cycle of illicit crop cultivation by providing farmers with alternative livelihoods.
