Archive of UNODC webstories 2014

 

 

Container Control Programme in Albania holds the annual meeting

22 December 2014, Tirana, Albania: The Container Control Programme (CCP) in Albania held its annual meeting in partnership with the General Directorate of Customs Administration and the General Directorate of the State Police. The meeting was aimed to review the results of the CCP work in Albania in 2014, the goals of the container control endeavors, sustainability of the Joint Container Control Unit (JCCU) in the Durres Port, local, regional and international cooperation and awareness raising.

The keynote speakers included the General Director of Customs Administration, General Director of the State Police, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania. Members of the UNODC-WCO Programme Steering Committee also participated in the meeting, including representatives of law enforcement agencies, local customs and police authorities, international organizations, EU Delegation in Tirana, ICITAP, EXBS and the Crown Agents.

In their welcoming remarks, the keynote speakers stated that the CCP was an important milestone in the partnership of the police and customs in Albania and expressed hope that it will continue in the future. They pointed out that UNODC has a long history of cooperation with the Albanian law enforcement agencies and continues to be one of the main agencies assisting the country in the implementation of the integrated border management strategy by means of supporting the joint work of the police and customs. The General Director of Customs stated that the JCCU was an example of good cooperation with the police with the ultimate goal of preventing illicit trafficking of drugs and other illicit activities at the Durres Port and promoting legitimate trade.

The meeting reviewed a draft Joint Order and Standard Operating Procedures on the Functioning of the JCCU. Both General Directors informed that they were willing to consider comments provided by the stakeholders and would review and sign the documents.

Since its establishment, the JCCU at the Durres Port has produced tangible results improving the effectiveness of port controls. Detections and seizures of drugs and other illicit goods went up in Durres and included 22.7kg of heroin, more than 5.6 tons of marijuana and counterfeited goods worth Euro 50,000.

The event was widely covered in the local media.

            

UNODC holds a Workshop on the Treatment of Women Prisoners in South Eastern Europe

15-16 December 2014, Vienna: UNODC held a Regional Workshop on Promoting the International Standards on the Treatment of Women Prisoners in South Eastern Europe. The Workshop was convened under the umbrella of the gender component of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe.

The delegations of the countries of the region included senior-level experts from the prison administration and other relevant national authorities together with prison governors and officers in charge of prison staff training and gender-related matters, i.e. gender focal points. Furthermore, representatives of the Council of Europe (Council for Penological Co-operation) and UN Women took part in the Workshop.

In the course of the Workshop, relevant International and European normative frameworks for the treatment of women prisoners were presented and discussed. The format of the Workshop was interactive, with presentations by each delegation as well as five discussion groups on topics related to women in prisons.

Presentations by the delegations from South Eastern Europe included an overview of treatment of female prisoners including such topics as national standards and practices, national legislation and application of International and European legal instruments, national achievements and challenges, national programmes for reintegration/rehabilitation for women in prisons and others.

In the subsequent sessions, discussion groups on national and regional practices reviewed the following topics:

  • General issues of treatment of women in prisons, including admission and registration in prisons;
  • Specific health related issues with regard to women in prisons;
  • Children in prisons accompanying female prisoners;
  • Special groups of female prisoners (i.e. foreign women, women from ethnic minorities, elderly women and others) and
  • Female prison staff.  

Discussion groups were led by the national delegations with support of UNODC.

In the wrap-up session, possible recommendations were discussed. It was noted that the Workshop was very useful and hands-on, and that more such events should be undertaken in the future.

               

Technical meetings and exchange visit in the Port of Durres

8-10 December 2014, Durres, Albania: A visit of seven officials from the Republic of Yemen, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UNODC office for Middle East and North Africa was hosted by the Joint Port Control Unit at Durres on 8-10 December 2014. The purpose of the visit was to get acquainted with the developments and implementation of the Container Control Program at this port with particular focus on the cooperation between the Customs and Police as partner entities to the Joint Port Control Unit.

Officials of the visiting counterparts met with the Head of the Durres Customs House gave an overview of the structure, objectives, handling capacity of the Customs House and highlighted the areas of cooperation between the Customs and Police. The meeting was followed by a tour around the Durres Port including a visit to the Container Terminal.

            

On the second day, a  meeting between the visiting mission and the Joint Port Control Unit was organized in the Durres Port Authority. The meeting was attended and addressed by the Head of the Durres Customs House and the Director of the Border Police and Migration Department of the Durres District. A brief presentation on the establishment, functions, achievements and challenges the Joint team at Durres Port is facing was made by the Head of the Unit followed by remarks from the head of the Middle East delegation.

             

The mission also visited Tirana where they were received by the Deputy Director General of the Albanian Customs Administration. During the meeting the delegation was briefed about the cooperation and good teamwork in the Durres Port Team which are positively affecting their work and support the delivery of good results. In the course of the meeting, a lot of specific examples and best practices were shared with the visitors.

A visit to the Risk Assessment and Monitoring Department focused on risk indicators, the evaluation, profiling, sharing of information and undertaking of joint operations. The meeting was concluded with the discussion of the next steps required to start the implementation of CCP in the Republic of Yemen.

             

Such exchange visits are part of the training curriculum under the Container Control programme. Experience show that such visits stimulate the cooperation between the respective ports  and strengthen the  working relations and information sharing

             

 

 This is the second exchange visit during 2014 welcomed by the Joint Port Control Team at the Durres Port. On 23 September 2014, under the "Bojana 2014" Operation, the team hosted a demonstration lesson for the Western Balkan countries.

UNODC holds a workshop on Enhancing national and regional criminal justice response to trafficking in children in the Western Balkans

11 December 2014, Belgrade: UNODC held a Country Workshop on "Enhancing national and regional criminal justice response to trafficking in children in the Western Balkans" in the French Culture Institute in Belgrade.

The Workshop was organized by UNODC in collaboration with the Public Prosecutor's Office of Serbia and the Government of France. It recalled the outcomes of the previous methodological meeting in Belgrade in October 2014, and reviewed several case studies on concrete examples of trafficking in children related to Serbia, as well as discussed the topics of criminal procedure and victim protection. The event was opened by the Deputy Republic Public Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Serbia and a representative of the French Government.

Particular added value on the event lies in the detailed review and analysis of actual cases of trafficking in children. This approach allows the attendees of the Workshop to significantly increase their understanding of the sequence and development of events in real trafficking cases and subsequently be better prepared to act in an efficient way producing intended results.  

               

 

Sixth meeting of the Steering Committee of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe takes place in Vienna

9 December 2014, Vienna: The sixth meeting of the Steering Committee of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe (2012-2015) took place in Vienna on 9 December 2014. The meeting was attended by the Members of the Steering Committee, Ambassadors and representatives of the Permanent Missions of the countries of South Eastern Europe to the United Nations in Vienna as well as the Permanent Missions of donor countries and regional organizations which UNODC partners with.
In view of the evaluation of the Regional Programme which has recently started, the meeting first discussed this topic.
It then proceeded to review the results of UNODC work in the region of South Eastern Europe in 2014. Within this session, the outcomes of work under each of the three Sub-Programmes were discussed:
Sub-Programme 1: Container Control Programme, Regional and inter-regional cooperation and partnership building, Countering human trafficking and migrant smuggling and Money Laundering/cash flows;
Sub-Programme 2: Anti-corruption (including UNCAC Review Mechanism) and Social inclusion / criminal justice;
Sub-Programme 3: Prevention and Treatment of drug abuse.
The Steering Committee has acknowledged the good results of work in the course of the year and thanked UNODC for their effective delivery.
The meeting then proceeded to the review of the workplan of the Regional Programme for 2015 and approved it. Next year, UNODC will be focusing on such areas as anti-trafficking (in drugs and humans), rule of law, anti-money laundering, drug use prevention and treatment.
UNODC further proceeded to presenting the concept of its work and extended partnership in the region in 2016-2019. The current meeting of the Steering Committee was all the more important as it was reviewing this long-term perspective of UNODC's engagement in South Eastern Europe.  The respective concept note was approved by the Steering Committee and the next steps were endorsed. An important element of UNODC's work in the region in 2015 will be the development of, consulting on and eventually launching of the UNODC Regional Programme for the period of 2016-2019.
The afternoon session of the meeting also included a session on partnerships whereby the regional organizations and actors spoke about their work and vision for the region and cooperating with UNODC. The meeting was attended by the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Belgrade, senior and expert representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC), Secretariat of the Police Cooperation Convention for South Eastern Europe (PCC SEE), Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC), Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe.  
Finally, the meeting reviewed communication and coordination arrangements and agreed to have the next meeting of the Steering Committee in mid-2015.  

           

Statement of the UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, on International Anti-Corruption Day

Corruption reaches into boardrooms, government, law enforcement, education, healthcare and sport, among many other areas.
No country, region or field of endeavour escapes the pull of this crime. Corruption drives up prices, erodes business credibility, diverts public funds and undermines equity and fairness across societies.
But its influence has rippled outwards. Once considered to be the simple cost of doing business, corruption is now the destructive price paid by millions of citizens, especially the poor.
It may be seen in missing tracts of forest, lost classrooms, absent hospitals and unbuilt roads. Corruption, today, represents a serious brake on the forward motion of sustainable development and building effective institutions.
Just as significantly, corruption oils the wheels of other damaging crimes, including illicit trafficking in drugs, people, animals, timber and guns.
In the face of these challenges, our global resistance to corruption hinges on every country ratifying and implementing the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), as well as entering into its peer review mechanism.
This essential tool, founded on the mutual trust of nations working side by side has proven to be a transformational experience for participating countries and is delivering tangible results. These range from meaningful reform to the strengthening of anti-corruption institutions all over the world.
But others also have a nurturing role. Business, and business groups, need to speak out, and in doing so, acknowledge that a company's brand is driven by good practices, ethical behaviour and sound procurement rules.
Civil society is also working to ensure that corruption is confronted. This work is crucial and UNODC will continue to work closely with civil society in the future.
Next year, the Sixth Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC will be held in St. Petersburg. It offers an opportunity to further strengthen global anti-corruption action and deliver the message that corruption has no place in our world.
On the International Day against Corruption, I welcome the tremendous efforts against corruption undertaken by governments, UN agencies, the private and public sector, civil society, academia and the media.
I pledge that UNODC will continue to work with its partners to help eliminate corruption, and to support the wider UN's work in the area of protecting and promoting sustainable development.
The campaign for the International Anti-Corruption Day, 9 December : "Break the corruption chain"    
This year's global UN campaign is led by UNDP and UNODC. More information is available at

http://www.anticorruptionday.org/actagainstcorruption/en/about-the-campaign/index.html 

                

 

UNODC - Lions Quest "Skills for adolescence"  first follow up session organized to scale up programme results

03 December 2014, Belgrade, Serbia: UNODC together with Lions Club International Foundation has started  a pilot programme  "Skills for Adolescence" a school based programme delivered by teachers that works on improving the social and life skills of students in order to prevent a variety of risk factors of drug use. Programme is currently  being  conducted in 21 elementary schools in Belgrade, reaching  more than 1600 students, for the  period of one academic year.

As part of  the programme monitoring process, and  taking into account  comments made by educators involved in the implementation, first follow up session of a series of three, was organized in order to scale up programme results and  support further  execution of the pilot process.  The session enabled the group to acknowledge potential  challenges they are facing in their work and to discuss and agree on future steps.

The follow up session attended 60 educators that are supporting the implementation of the programme in their elementary schools, representatives of the Ministry of education, science and technological development and local trainers. It has been  coordinated by a group of local  trainers, recently educated in the inception phase of the programme, under the supervision of the Lions Quest Senior Trainer Coach. Next session has been envisaged for March 2015.

 

UNODC - WCO Container Control Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina commenced implementation phase

28 November 2014, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: The UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme Basic Theoretical Training has been completed today in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The two-week theoretical training (17-28 November 2014) was organized for the Joint Port Control Unit officers from the Indirect Taxation Authority and the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Training also gathered observing officers from several other law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies and Agency for Education and Professional Training, as well as the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia, Customs Directorate of Koper.

This training represents the first segment of the structured professional learning concept of the Container Control Programme, combining on-site theoretical and practical training, e-learning modules and work-study visits, including mentoring and advisory visits. The training also served as forum for information exchange on risk analysis, case studies and for discussion on how to further strengthen cooperation between law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In particular, future cooperation with the Port of Koper, Slovenia, has also been considered through the Container Control Programme, using ContainerComm, a secure communication system developed by the WCO to facilitate the exchange of intelligence and information.

Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme in July 2014, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UNODC and became the 21 st operational country out of 52 funded countries.

The Joint Port Control Unit in Bosnia and Herzegovina is deployed at the Border crossing/Customs point Bijača. On a daily basis, its work will contribute to the minimization of risks related to illicit trafficking of prohibited goods across the Bosnia and Herzegovina border.

The Container Control Programme activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are funded through the contribution of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, in the context of the Swiss Regional Police Cooperation Programme in the Western Balkans, and the United States Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program.

               

Background information

The sheer volume of international maritime container traffic with approximately 500 million containers shipped annually in the trade supply chain, the sophisticated and often ingenious concealment methods, along with complex routings adopted by illicit drug traffickers and other criminal organizations, invariably makes successful interdiction difficult. The situation poses a very real and serious threat to the security of the international trade supply chain and consequently to sustainable economic development.

In response to this threat, UNODC and WCO launched the Container Control Programme which seeks to assist governments in establishing sustainable enforcement structures in selected seaports and dry-ports to minimize the risk of maritime containers being exploited for trafficking of various illicit goods, such as drugs, precursor chemicals (for drugs and weapons), firearms, weapons of mass destruction, nuclear material, and other forms of organized crime activity.

The programme aims at establishing so called Joint Port Control Units (JPCU) comprising Police, Customs and other relevant law enforcement authorities in key regional container ports. These JCPU will receive training, computers and basic technical equipment. The overall objective is to increase the skills on risk-based profiling of containers and to improve the information exchange at the national, regional and international levels on container crime while facilitating the cross-border movements of legitimate goods.

              

UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme

Since its establishment in 2004, the Container Control Programme created more than 40 operational port control units worldwide, in 20 operational countries leading to significantly increased detections of drugs and other illicit goods and intensified national and international cooperation in targeting criminals who exploit the legitimate commercial supply chain.

A staged approach in training of these officers from basic risk profiling skills to advanced levels, seeks to establish qualified and sustainable structures for developing and processing intelligence for targeting purposes.

              

 

Container Control Programme - Albanian officers visit the Italian port of Goia Tauro

26-28 November 2014, Goia Tauro, Italy: In the framework of the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme, officers of the Joint Port Control Unit of Durres/Albania met with representatives of the Agenzia delle Dogane and the Guardia di Finanza in the Italian port of Goia Tauro from 26 to 28 November 2014.

The Albanian Customs and Police officers were accompanied by two prosecutors of the Serious Crime Prosecution office from Tirana and discussed issues to intensify the cooperation between the two countries to tackle illicit trade, in particular the smuggling of cocaine from South America. The port of Goia Tauro is one of the major transshipment hubs for container traffic in the Mediterranean Sea and has direct shipping services to the port of Durres in Albania.

The officials were warmly welcomed by the Italian Customs and Guardia di Finanza; it was agreed to intensify the exchange of information as well as to enhance operational cooperation, also in the form of "Controlled Deliveries". A return visit was tentatively planned for 2015.

The Study Visit, facilitated via WCO and UNODC, fully met the objectives of the Container Control Programme to strengthen inter-agency and international cooperation in the fight against illicit goods along the maritime trade supply chain. The participation of the prosecutors added to the professional approach of Albania and Italy in tackling organized crime. 

http://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2014/december/container-control-programme-albanian-officers-visit-the-italian-port-of-goia-tauro.aspx

               

 

UNODC takes part in a regional anti-corruption conference together with regional partners

25 November 2014, Skopje, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia:  How can States parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) develop and implement effective anti-corruption strategies? Answering this question is key in order to establish effective corruption prevention mechanisms in any given country. However it is also a particularly challenging undertaking and the need to share experiences is important to maximise chances for success.
In order to help address these issues in a practical and substantive manner, UNODC took part in a expert-level regional conference organised by RACVIAC-Centre for Security Cooperation, in close cooperation between the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Macedonia and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI). By examining and discussing different approaches used by countries in the region in establishing, implementing and evaluating Anti-corruption Strategies (ACSs) and Action Plans (APs), the regional conference helped to enhance regional and international efforts to build integrity and fight corruption.
UNODC contributed by presenting the international context in which such strategies should be developed and implemented, in particular as part of Article 5 of UNCAC and preparing for the second review cycle of the Convention. Furthermore lessons learned were shared in terms of UNODC's experience of working with countries wishing to implement such policies. It was highlighted that States should seek to develop an anti-corruption strategy which is indigenous, inclusive and involves wide participation; has adequate resources; is based on sound research; and has a very strong focus on implementation and periodic evaluation.
The conference assembled of 50 participants from national anti-corruption agencies from across the region. A ministerial-level conference, based on the recommendations of the meetings ( http://www.rai-see.org/doc/Skopje_Conference_Conclusions.pdf) is planned for April 2015.

UNODC work in South Eastern Europe presented to the Standing open-ended intergovernmental working group on improving the governance and financial situation of UNODC

20 November 2014, Vienna: The regional team for South Eastern Europe presented the outcomes of work and results achieved in South Eastern Europe in 2013 to the Standing open-ended intergovernmental working group on improving the governance and financial situation of UNODC. The work undertaken by the Regional Programme in cooperation and in support of the UNODC Thematic Programmes, was presented, segmenting the presentation by each of the three sub-programmes of the Regional Programme (on illicit trafficking and organized crime; on justice and integrity; on prevention, treatment and care). In particular, the details of work in the areas of drug control, partnership building, container control, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, anti-corruption, anti-terrorism and prevention and treatment of drug use were described, along with the most significant achievements of the coordination, communication and reporting pillar of the Regional Programme. The outlook for the ongoing and future work in the region was also highlighted. The comments from the floor included expression of strong support to the Regional Programme, especially in view of its cost-efficiency.

 

UNODC participates in the Working level meeting of the Treptower Group

18-19 November 2014, Potsdam, Germany: UNODC participated in the 8 th Working level meeting of the Treptower Group, hosted by the German Federal Police.

The Treptower Group is a network of donors and organizations from the EU who provide assistance and capacity building in the Western Balkans in the area of law enforcement. The Treptower Group meets twice a year to discuss the international support programmes with the purpose of optimizing the international donors' assistance and avoiding the duplication of activities. The Treptower Group forum was established in 2010 upon initiative by the German Federal Criminal Police (BKA).

The UNODC officer briefed the participants about the activities and achievements of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe and of the Paris Pact Initiative in 2014 as well as about the planned activities in 2015. Besides UNODC the meeting was attended by the representatives of agencies and organizations such as the German Police, Europol, Frontex, NCA, ICITAP, OSCE, RCC, French Ministry of Interior, EJPD Switzerland.

               

               

UNODC launches the Assessment Report on Regime Activities in Institutions for the Execution of Criminal Sentences in Albania

18 November 2014, Tirana, Albania: The launch of the UNODC needs assessment report on regime activities in the Albanian prisons brought together 72 representatives from the Albanian Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, various international organizations and civil society. The report was prepared in the framework of the One UN Project on Support to Social Inclusion in Albania, funded by the Government of the Swiss Confederation. UNODC, which serves as a lead UN agency on prison reform and alternatives to imprisonment within the UN system, implements the project's component on the rehabilitation and social reintegration of prisoners.

The launch ceremony, which was followed by technical group discussions, started with introductory presentations delivered by Director General of Strategic Planning, Ministry of Justice; Director of Social Inclusion Policies at the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth; Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation in Albania; and the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania. Director General of the Albanian Prison Administration, moderated the event. The prison reform experts from UNODC provided a detailed presentation of the main findings and recommendations in the report, which was the result of a one-week assessment mission conducted in July 2014, including consultations with a range of relevant stakeholders as well as detailed visits to six Albanian prisons.

The report acknowledges that typically, the poor and marginalized segments of society tend to be over-represented in prisons. It also builds on the facts that (i) it has been recognized internationally that imprisonment on its own does not have a rehabilitative effect; and that (ii) the vast majority of prisoners eventually return to society. Accordingly, prison administrations, together with other relevant stakeholders, need to support the willingness and ability of prisoners to lead law-abiding lives upon release, both in the course of imprisonment and following release . In line with the above, the Ambassador of Switzerland noted in his speech that "[a]t international level, we have seen a paradigm shift in the way we view prisons and their treatment. We no longer see imprisonment as a mere instrument of punishment. The shift consists in a new conception of prisons as places of re-education and re-integration, and institutions which provide opportunities for prisoners to become law-abiding citizens and to come out as changed human beings". Similar to many other prison systems worldwide, the Albanian prison administration faces shortcomings in the area of prison-based rehabilitation programmes, with a very low percentage of 5%, 8% and 9% of the overall Albanian prison administration benefitting from respective programmes and services at this stage.

It was unanimously agreed that the recommendations of the report would not only serve as a valuable information base from which to proceed, but will also mark the start of a reform process in the course of which prisoners would be supported more strongly in re-integrating into society upon release, including through an increased variety and quality of prison-based programmes in the fields of education, vocational training and work. The General Director of the Albanian prison administration emphasized that the UNODC assessment report was considered an essential guidance document, which must not be shelved, but which should serve as an important roadmap and guide for all prison staff, including the Social Care Departments in prisons. The launch event is followed by a three-days practical training at Fushe Kruja prison, which was identified as a pilot prison for the Social Inclusion Support Programme. In the course of the training, UNODC will assist the Albanian prison administration in contextualizing the recommendations from the report into a concrete action plan of short-, mid- and long-term reform steps and interventions.

             

                    

UNODC participates a Regional Workshop on Dual-Use Items and Arms Export Controls

6 November 2014, Belgrade, Serbia: UNODC participated in a Regional Workshop on Dual-Use Items and Arms Export Controls organized by the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control within the EU-Outreach in Export Control of Dual Use Items. The workshop was attended by the national representatives of the Licensing Authorities, Customs Administration and the Foreign Ministries of the countries of South Eastern Europe and of some EU countries. The participants discussed topics related to conventional arms export controls and exchanged their experiences.

In the part of the workshop that discussed relevant regional activities, a UNODC representative presented the UN Firearms Protocol and its links to export controls as well as the UNODC Global Programme on Firearms. The participants of the workshop were also informed of the UNODC Technical Assistance Tools, such as the Model Law, as well as of the legislative assistance provided to the Member States.

 

UNODC held a regional workshop "Enhancing national and regional criminal justice response to trafficking in children in the Western Balkans"

31 October 2014, Belgrade, Serbia: UNODC, the Government of France and the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Serbia (RPPO) have held a regional workshop "Enhancing national and regional criminal justice response to trafficking in children in the Western Balkans".

Deputy Head of the RPPO, the Ambassador of France in Belgrade and a UNODC expert in the field of countering human trafficking and migant smuggling have addressed the workshop which then went on reviewing a case study on trafficking in children related to the Western Balkans. In the course of the day, methodology of analysis of concrete cases of trafficking in children and developing an action plan for responsible stakeholders was discussed in details. At the end of the event, its participants underscored that the workshop was practical and interactive.

More information is available at the webpage of the Embassy of France in Belgrade:  http://www.ambafrance-srb.org/Reponse-judiciaire-au-trafic-des

        

 

UNODC completes the Course on elements of psychosocial treatment of drug dependence in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

21 October 2014, Skopje, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: As a result of work of the UNODC-WHO drug dependence treatment and care programme, a TREATNET training (Volume "Elements of Psychosocial Treatment") has been delivered to the students of the Medical Faculty of Saints Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje on 15-17 May 2014. The ceremony of awarding the certificates to 33 trainees for completion of the UNODC-WHO Programme course has taken place on 21 October 2014 with attendance of students from the Medical Faculty, members of the European Medical Student Association (EMSA), the Head of the Center for Prevention and Treatment of Drug Addiction (Ministry of Health), and the Vice-Dean for international cooperation at the Medical Faculty, as well as UNODC. Certificates were awarded to each student and appreciation was expressed to the leading experts for the transfer of their knowledge to the students and future medical doctors in the area of drug dependence treatment.

                 

 

Joint Container Control Team at Durres Port seizes counterfeit goods

17 October 2014, Durres, Albania: The Joint Container Control Team at the Durres Port succeeded in confiscating counterfeit goods (clothes, bags and various garments of the well-known brands) from a container coming from China, transiting  Durres Port with final destination Kosovo under the UNSCR 1244. The operation which was based on intelligence information acquired by the Joint Team and supported by the Department of the Fight against Economic Crime resulted in the seizure of goods worth Euro 50,000 and USD 150,000, as well as the detention of the entrepreneur. This is the first case of seizure of counterfeit goods at Durres Port coming though containers.

           

The above successful operation adds to the previous ones led by the Joint Team and resulting into a seizure of 5.6 tons of marijuana and 22.7 kg of heroin.

The Joint Container Control Team at Durres Port was established and is being assisted by UNODC and WCO in the framework of the Global Container Control Programme.

                        

UNODC Report on Illicit Drug Trade through South Eastern Europe is presented at a meeting of a Mini-Dublin Group in Skopje

14 October 2014, Skopje, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Following the official presentation in Vienna in March 2014, the UNODC Report on Illicit Drug Trade through South Eastern Europe was also presented in Skopje, at the Mini-Dublin Group Meeting held on 14 October 2014 in the premises of the European Union Delegation.

The meeting included participants from: Hungarian Embassy (Chair of the meeting), Embassies of Italy, France, Greece, Slovenia, Czech Republic, United States of America, Switzerland, United Kingdom, UNODC, OSCE, MARRI, and EU Delegation in Skopje. In total, 24 participants attended the meeting.

Participants presented the current developments, statistics and trends in the field of drug control and drug related offences in the country, as well as regional and local efforts aimed at combating illicit drug trafficking.

UNODC presented the Report and its main findings (copies of the Report were previously distributed to all participants). A few findings of the report related in particular to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, are summarized here.

The organised criminal groups native to South Eastern Europe, with the exception of Albanian organised crime groups and possible exception of nationals of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, do not appear to be major players in heroin retail sales in Western and Central Europe and appear to act mainly as facilitators and middlemen on the Balkan Route.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is unique in South Eastern Europe in that it borders the two main entry points of the Balkan Route into the EU-Bulgaria and Greece and is a major transit point for the western branch of the Balkan route. Its geographical location enables a connection to Kosovo under UNSCR 1244, Serbia or Albania (and further to Italy).

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is an important location for heroin storage and repackaging; and traffickers from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia may be increasingly active in transit and in destination markets, especially connected to heroin and cocaine trafficking, as reported by EUROPOL.

More research should be undertaken to establish whether the reduction in border crossings resulting from the accession of South Eastern European States to the EU is likely to have an effect on patterns of heroin trafficking through the region and the possible shifting of the Balkan route.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia may be playing increasingly important role in trafficking of cannabis coming from Albania. Current evidence suggests that large scale cultivation for export occurs primarily in Albania, with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia recently reporting some large-scale cultivation. While Albania represents the first departure country in 80% of the cannabis cases, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is the second.

From Greece onward, cocaine traffickers have several options, but according to official data, they tend to follow a northward trajectory through the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria.

           

UNODC conducts a Regional Drug Use Prevention Strategy and Policy Makers Seminar

29 September - 2 October 2014, Belgrade, Serbia: The Regional Seminar "Prevention Strategy and Policy Makers" was held by UNODC gathering policy makers from the key governmental sectors in charge of prevention of drug use activities and planning, from the countries of South Eastern Europe, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,  Montenegro and Serbia.

The aim of the Regional Seminar was to technically promote and support the improvement of the coverage and quality of national systems for drug use prevention in the participating countries, based on the UNODC International Standards on Drug Use Prevention and building on the substantial existing expertise and activities.

The event was divided into two parts. On 29 September - 1 October, UNODC presented to the participants the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention and a wide discussion has taken place focusing on evidence based intervention and policies that are proven as effective instrument in drug use prevention. During the concluding day of the Seminar, participants had a chance to discuss the achieved results of the UNODC Strengthening Family  Programme for children of the age 10-14 years old, implemented in the South Eastern European region in the recent years, as well as its potential for the regional expansion and  networking.

The Seminar was an important event for the UNODC work in the region in the area od drug demand reduction due to the fact that evidence based interventions and policies were discussed with the representatives of key governmental sectors which strengthened the multi sectorial comprehensive approach towards the drug use prevention.

The Regional Seminar was opened with the welcoming speech of Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Director of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia, and the UN Resident Coordinator.

                

                

                

Container Control mission to Podgorica and Bar in Montenegro  

24 - 26 September 2014, Podgorica and Bar, Montenegro: A UNODC expert inspected a recently refurbished Joint Port Control Unit (JPCU) office located in the Customs Administration building in the Montenegro port of Bar. UNODC confirmed that all works are conducted as per the contract agreement in full compliance with UN rules and procedures and with guidance and assistance of UNDP Office in Montenegro. In addition to the construction works, basic furniture for the office was also provided. UNODC also witnessed delivery of six computers and other IT equipment. The expert met with the relevant logistical unit of the Montenegro Customs Administration to agree on the software required for the smooth work of the JPCU, as well as with the Law enforcement agencies' representatives in Podgorica.

Official opening of JPCU office was discussed and is likely to take place before the end of 2014. It was agreed to conduct a risk assessment indicators training for JPCU, to be held by certified national trainers, preferably after the official opening ceremony of the office. 

UNODC also met with the JPCU team at their premises to discuss operational matters. UNODC briefed JPCU about the meeting held in Podgorica and future training activities. The team provided UNODC a list of tools needed for the office, including forensic drug test kits. 

               

               

 

UNODC conducts a training course to further develop knowledge and skills among South Eastern European law enforcement officers to assist them to identify and interdict cash couriers

23-25 September 2014, Ohrid, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: UNODC's Global Programme against Money Laundering, Proceeds of Crime and the Financing of Terrorism (GPML) has conducted a regional training course on monitoring cross-border transportation of cash and bearer negotiable instruments (BNIs).

The training course provided an opportunity for 19 representatives of the financial intelligence units, border control and customs officers, prosecutors and the police from South Eastern Europe to further develop their knowledge and skills in the mechanisms for monitoring cash and BNIs at the border and the procedures for declaration/disclosure of cash and BNIs. The training covered profiling and identification of cash smugglers, seizure of cash and BNIs, interviewing of suspected offenders, handling seizures of cash and BNIs and investigation of suspected financing of terrorism and money laundering. The development of intelligence, exchange of information, the role of the FIU and cross-border (regional and international) cooperation in relation to cash smuggling is also included in this course. There was also a focus on effective implementation of the FATF Recommendation 32 on Competent authorities, their powers and resources.

The training also considered the international standards on combatting money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism and domestic legislation for cash monitoring, cash seizure process maps, decision making and improving performance and included practical exercises.

At the end of the course, each trainee was also provided with the Manual of Guidance and a pocket guide on interdicting cash couriers, developed by GPML.

Feedback from the participants of the training confirmed that they acquired new knowledge and skills for identifying cash couriers and seizing undeclared cash.

 

                 

               

 

UNODC participated in a regional working group meeting of the South East Europe Firearms Expert Network

23-24 September 2014, Durres, Albania: UNODC has participated in the First Regional Meeting of the South East Europe Firearms Expert Network (SEEFEN). This initiative is implemented under the umbrella of the European Union within the scope of the Council Decision 2013/730/CFSP and implemented by UNDP's regional project on small arms control in South East Europe - SEESAC.

The meeting was attended by representatives from institutions designated to investigate firearms-related criminality; prosecutors with experience in working on violent crime and smuggling-related cases; and customs authorities dealing with firearms trafficking in: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo under the UNSCR 1244. Also partaking were speakers and experts from EUROPOL and the Police Directorate of the Republic of Croatia. The purpose of the meeting was to determine the future tasks of SEEFEN and identify the main topics of concern to be discussed at future meetings.

More information on the meeting is available at http://www.seesac.org/news.php?id=552

 

Preparatory meetings in Belgrade, Skopje and Tirana for the upcoming regional seminar "Prevention strategy and policy makers"

19 September 2014, Belgrade, 24 September 2014, Skopje, 25 September 2014, Tirana: UNODC has organized preparatory meetings to acknowledge the results of the implementation of the drug use prevention programme and to address the challenges and recognize best practice examples identified during the programme's implementation. The meetings were held also in order to support the formulation of national presentations and to prepare the national delegates for the discussions at the upcoming regional seminar that will take place the following week in the capital of Serbia. The meetings have addressed such topics as: suitability of the material as currently adapted, level of preparedness of facilitators/trainers, assessment of the affinity, assessment of monitoring and evaluation capacity, assessment of resources for scale-up and others.

                 

UNODC and WCO host a demonstration lesson at the Port of Durres 

23 September 2014, Durres, Albania: Upon the request of the DCAF Border Security Programme and FRONTEX, UNODC hosted a demonstration lesson on the functioning of the Joint Port Control Unit at Durres Port. The demonstration lesson was part of the programme on cross-border cooperation operational police measures among South Eastern European countries in the area of crime prevention, fight against organized crime and illegal migration called "Bojana 2014".

               

               

UNODC, the Joint Port Control Unit, the Border Police and the Durres Customs House worked together to demonstrate to the law enforcement officers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia and Croatia specific concepts of the UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme followed by a detailed presentation on the day-to-day work of the Joint Team operating at the Durres Port.

The indoor part of the demonstration lesson was balanced between theory and practice, absorbing the interest of participants and resulting in interactive discussions.

The practical exercise at the container terminal followed the indoor training and allowed the participants to carefully observe the techniques used in the container control. The practical exercise connected theory to practice by enabling those present to better understand the application of the modern search techniques. Risk indicators were used in selecting three containers for the practical exercise. Control resulted in some surprising outcomes that would lead to further investigative work for the officers and customs authorities.

The one-day activity was attended by 45 participants from South Eastern European countries who were welcomed by the Deputy General Director of the Border Police and Migration of Albania, Deputy Director of Durres Customs House, FRONTEX and DCAF representatives. The demonstration lesson was also attended by the representatives of Crown Agents, ICITAP, PAMECA and EXBS in Albania.

                             
  

The UNODC Project Office in Tirana also invited the Joint Port Control Team of the Port of Bar, Montenegro, to participate in an activity that is considered a good opportunity to establish mutual trust and cooperation among law enforcement agencies in the region as well as a good opportunity to exchange experiences, information, data and know-how.  

 

 

UNODC conducts a country visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the context of reviewing the implementation of UNCAC

16-18 September 2014, Skopje, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: UNODC conducted a country visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the context of reviewing the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in that country (third year of the first review cycle on the implementation of the Convention).

The round-table discussions in the context of this country visit were held in Skopje, involving Croatia and Iceland as reviewing States parties and UNODC as the Secretariat of the Mechanism for the Review of Implementation of UNCAC. The objective of the country visit was for the reviewing States parties to engage in direct dialogue on the review of implementation of the Convention at the domestic level with the relevant experts and representatives from national institutions of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, involved in the implementation of anti-corruption measures and policies, as well as with representatives from NGOs and civil society.

As a result of the country visit and based on the exchange of information and views between the competent national authorities and the reviewing experts, a country review report, is to be drafted to reflect the conclusions and findings of the round-table discussions. The draft executive summary of the country review report will be prioritized and eventually finalized in consultations with the national authorities. Upon finalization of the executive summary, the country review report will be adjusted and completed accordingly. The report will identify successes, good practices and challenges and make observations for the implementation of the Convention. Where appropriate, the report will include the identification of technical assistance needs for the purpose of improving the implementation of the Convention. The executive summary of the report will be translated in all United Nations official languages. The country review report itself shall remain confidential, unless the country under review decides to make it available in the public domain.

Preparatory meeting for the upcoming Regional Seminar "Prevention strategy and policy makers"

11 September 2014, Podgorica, Montenegro: Following the new UNODC initiative "Prevention strategy and policy makers", the UNODC Global Programme "Prevention of drug use, HIV/AIDS and crime among young people through family skill training programmes in low and middle income countries" in collaboration with the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe will organize a Regional Policy-Makers Seminar on 29 September - 2 October in Belgrade, Serbia, aiming at disseminating the UNODC International Standards on Drug Use Prevention in order to support policy-makers in planning national drug prevention systems.

The event will also serve as a platform where national counterparts previously involved in the implementation of the UNODC "Strenghtening Familly Programme 10-14" in their countries will present results achieved and assess the potential for networking, expansion and sustainability.

UNODC is currently conducting preparatory meetings for the Regional Seminar across the region. On 11 September, such meeting took place in Montenegro. National prevention experts from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education of Montenegro as well as actors involved in the implementation of the programme met in Podgorica during the one-day event  to discuss the project delivery and to assist the national focal point to prepare a detailed presentation for the upcoming Regional Seminar. The meeting was organized and coordinated by UNODC together with the Ministry of Education of Montenegro.

               

 

Visit of the delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Vienna under the Container Control Programme

10 September 2014, Vienna, Austria:  Following up on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UNODC and Bosnia and Herzegovina on container control on 10 July 2014, a delegation of the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina visited Vienna HQ of UNODC for a consultative mission under the umbrella of the UNODC - World Customs Organization (WCO) Global Container Control Programme implemented in the country to contribute to the national efforts to counter illicit trafficking and organized crime.

The delegation conducted consultations with the managers of the Container Control Programme with regard to planning of the establishment of a Joint Port Control Unit at the border port / customs point Bijača, as well as the upcoming capacity building activities for the future staff of the JPCU. The delegation also met with the representatives of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe. Next practical activities under the Container Control Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be reported in October 2014.

 

UNODC - Lions Quest "Skills for adolescence" third workshop held in Serbia

09-11 September, Belgrade, Serbia: Excellent cooperation between Lions Club International Foundation and UNODC with expert and logistical support by Ministry of Education and Belgrade city municipalities New Belgrade and Zvezdara resulted into the next workshop within the ongoing programme. The third in a series of five planned workshop was attended by 15 experts from elementary schools where the programme "Skills foradolescence" will be implemented. Having successfully completed the workshop, these experts will act as educators for the current school year 2014-2015. In the course of the school year, each educator will be asked to continue to work with the selected group of students.

               

Before and in the course of the workshop, trainer candidates had the opportunity to be more engaged in the workshop preparation, coordination and implementation following the Training for Trainers working methodology, identified by the Lions Quest in cooperation with UNODC.

The Lions Quest "Skills for adolescence" is implemented under the umbrella of the UNODC Global project on drug use prevention (GLOK01) and supporting the  Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe.

Since the commencement of the programme in August 2014, more than 900 students have been reached and involved in programme implementation.

The next and the last two workshops in the first pilot programme are planned for 17-19 October and 20-22 October with 30 additional educators to be trained.

               

               

 UNODC participates in the Bled Strategic Forum

1-2 September 2014, Bled, Slovenia: UNODC has, for the first time, participated in the annual meeting of the Bled Strategic Forum.

Over the past nine years, the Bled Strategic Forum, organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and the Centre for European Perspective, has grown into a successful platform for high-level strategic dialogue among leaders from the private and public sectors on key issues facing Europe and the world in the 21st century.

The agenda of the Bled Strategic Forum and further information thereon are available at http://www.bledstrategicforum.org/bsf_2014/agenda

               

 Photo: Blejski strateški forum 2014 - panel o povezovanju Zahodnega Balkana. Tamino Petelinšek/STA

UNODC - Lions Quest "Skills for adolescence"pilot workshops to tackle a variety of risk factors including substance use held in Serbia

20-22 and 23-25 August 2014, Belgrade, Serbia: The first and second pilot workshops on drug use prevention among school children were organized in Belgrade by UNODC and the Lions Club International Foundation in accordance with the recently signed cooperation agreement between the two agencies which avails prevention programmes in Serbian elementary schools  in order to tackle a variety of risk factors including substance use.

The participants of the workshops (15 in each) came from different backgrounds, including pedagogical and psychological. The events were attended also by representatives of the Belgrade city municipalities and Ministry of education, science and technological development that have made the selection of the participants from the schools where this programme will be continued in the course of the 2014-2015 school year.

The participants demonstrated keen interest in the Lions Quest materials "Skills for Adolescence" (SFA). The methods and the teaching strategies of the programme and the link with Social and Emotional Learning and the prevention for students of ages 10-14 were well received by the trainees (for more information: http://www.lions-quest.org/ ).

All participants successfully completed the trainings and were granted with the title of educators for the programme..

                

                

The workplan for the future is as follows:
· three additional workshops  resulting in 15 trained educators per workshop;

· trained educators will continue with the implementation in their elementary schools, working with the group of approximately 20 students during the entire academic year;

· as part of a parallel training of trainers process, trainer candidates will be gradually engaged in the process of conducting workshops with a Senior trainer monitoring, evaluation and supervision; 

· the 2014-2015 school year's programme will follow the 40 session implementation cycle, while respecting the Serbian school year period of 36 weeks. The programme will be implemented with a group of adolescence in the elementary schools in the city municipalities of New Belgrade and Zvezdara from September to June 2014. The next, third, workshop is planned for 9-11 September 2014 with 15 new educators to be trained.

 

               

               

             

Police operation led by Joint Port Unit in Durres, Albania

19 August 2014, Durres, Albania: The Joint Port Unit, established in Durres under the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme, participated and led a police operation at the ferry terminal of Durres Port, whereby 332 kg of marijuana were seized. Marijuana was concealed in a double layer of the floor of a truck with Kavaja (39km away from Tirana) number plates destined to Italy. Elements of intelligence led selection were used by the border police and anti-drug officers. The latter could arrest the driver of the truck, an Albanian citizen, and one other person. Investigation is still going on. UNODC recognized this yet another good achievement of the Joint Port Unit at Durres Port.

               

UNODC and the Lions Club International Foundation launch a pilot "LionsQuest - Skills for adolescence" programme in Serbia 

15 July 2014, Belgrade, Serbia:  As a result of the collaboration between United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Lions Club International Foundation, a strong evidence based prevention tool will be added to the prevention programming of Serbia. This programme called LionsQuest (Skills for Adolescents) is a school based programme delivered by teachers that works on improving the social and life skills of students in order to prevent a variety of risk factors including substance use.

Through this programme, Serbian students, families, schools and communities are further engaging in supporting a community that cares and works on promoting positive behaviour. The programme also provides opportunities for young people to learn the essential skills needed to lead a healthy and productive life. It promotes a healthy approach to life free from the harms of alcohol and other drugs. Serbia will be the first country in the South Eastern European region to benefit from the piloting of LionsQuest. Many countries in the region are already involved in the UNODC global project "Prevention of drug use, HIV/AIDS and crime among young people through family skills training programmes in low- and middle-income countries".

The launch of the LionsQuest programme took place on 15 July 2014 in Belgrade and was attended by a delegation representing the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republican expert committee for prevention and control of drug addiction, Institute of public health of Serbia and the city municipalities Zvezdara and Novi Beograd, as well as NGOs.  

The launch included a description of the value added and the international knowledge and expertise of the LionsQuest Skills for Adolescents by the LionsQuest main office in Chicago, USA. It also covered a presentation on how this programme moves the Serbian national prevention programming closer in line with the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention promoted by UNODC. At the launch, UNODC presented the International Standards and how the family skills programme (SFP 10-14) and the coming LionsQuest programme fit within the matrix of evidence based programmes recommended by the standards.

The first of a series of five trainings of Serbian teachers on Skills for Adolescents will commence in August 2014. This training will lead to a direct implementation of the 40 sessions of this programme in 20 elementary schools in the municipalities of New Belgrade and Zvezdara during the following academic year. Over 75 teachers will be trained, over 1000 students are expected to benefit from the sessions.

This programme was made possible through the financial and technical support from Lions Club International Foundation and will be coordinated by UNODC.

http://rs.one.un.org/news.php?id=475

           

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina formally joins UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme

10 July 2014, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Bosnia and Herzegovina, on container control took place in Sarajevo, assembling commitments of the UNODC, Ministry of Security, Indirect Taxation Authority and Border Police BiH.

The MoU signing is bringing the global UNODC/World Customs Organization (WCO) Programme to Bosnia and Herzegovina to contribute to country's efforts to fight illicit container trafficking and suppress activities of organized crime groups. This activity coincides with the recent re-opening of UNODC National Programme Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, strengthening Agency's presence in the South-Eastern Europe region, and implementation of activities related to prevention of organized crime and illicit drug trade, counter-terrorism, anti-corruption, human trafficking and other.

UNODC Director of the Division for Treaty Affairs, Mr. John Sandage, in his opening remarks said: " Container Control Programme is uniquely placed to assist Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to create sustainable enforcement structures in order to minimize the risk of shipping containers being exploited for illicit trafficking and other forms of black market activity."

Through cooperation of the UNODC Regional Programme for South-Eastern Europe 2012-2015, the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has expressed its strong interest in participating in the CCP through establishment of a Joint Port Control Unit at the border port / customs point Bijača.

" It is our hope that this Programme will further strengthen the system in Bosnia and Herzegovina to successfully fight transnational crime and provide condition for better security in the whole region", said Mr. Samir Rizvo, Assistant Minister of Security.

Drug trafficking and other forms of organized crime and increasing levels of violence continue to pose major challenges for countries in South Eastern Europe. Large volumes of heroin (and some cocaine) pass through the region, representing a major threat to national economic development.

Introduction of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the Container Control Programme will provide a good opportunity for countries of the region to discuss priorities and needs in the field of container control and share experiences and best practices on "profiling" high risk containers.

               

               

UNODC and UNDP present an Assessment on Judicial Integrity in Kosovo*

4 July 2014, Pristina: UNDP Project Support to Anti-Corruption Efforts in Kosovo (SAEK), supported generously by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), in cooperation with UNODC is supporting the enhancement of the internal capacities and mechanisms of the judiciary in Kosovo for investigating internal cases of corruption and disciplining judges and prosecutors with regard to corruption offences, and increase the ability of the judiciary to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption externally.

In March 2014, UNODC and UNDP conducted an on-site assessment mission, which included meetings with a broad range of stakeholders, including: judges, prosecutors, government officials, civil society groups, and regional and international agencies, aimed at identifying the core capacity building and training needs of the judiciary, prosecution services and other bodies, including, in particular, the Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor (ODP). The purpose of the on-site assessment mission was to produce a draft-report on Judicial Integrity, with the main findings and recommendations for concrete activities in support of the enhancement of capacities.

The main findings, challenges and recommendations of the report were presented at the third task force meeting, held on 3 July 2014, involving all relevant stakeholders from government, independent institutions, civil society, and representatives of international organizations in Kosovo, such as: Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court of Kosovo, Kosovo Judicial Council, Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor, State Prosecution Office, Kosovo Prosecutorial Institute, Anti-Corruption Agency, Kosovo Bar Association, EULEX, OSCE, EU Office in Kosovo, GIZ, US Embassy, USAID, Council of Europe, Internews Kosova, and KDI.

The presentation of the report, conducted by the Chief and Expert of the UNODC Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, was considered useful for setting a solid foundation for the implementation of the Project's activities on judicial integrity, which are planned to start at the beginning of September 2014. All comments and suggestions will be incorporated in the final report on the Judicial Integrity which will be published soon.

* All references to Kosovo should be understood in the context of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).

www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/presscenter/articles/2014/07/04/undp-unodc-present-the-assessment-on-kosovo-s-judicial-integrity/  

          

UNODC assessment mission on prison-based rehabilitation programmes in Albania

30 June - 4 July 2014, Tirana, Albania: In the context of the programme on social inclusion implemented by the Albania One UN Coherence Fund, and in close coordination with the Albanian Prison Administration, UNODC is implementing a programme's component focused on enhancing the prospects of a successful reintegration of prisoners upon release, in particular by means of strengthening respective rehabilitation services and programmes in Albanian prisons.

To this end, a UNODC expert mission visited Albania with the goal of assessing the principle objective of identifying the necessary contribution to the successful reintegration of prisoners into society upon release. During the stay, the mission met with the senior officials of Prison Administration, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, civil society organizations and visited six prisons setting across the country including a female prison.

The mission also attended a National Conference on Prison Reform in Albania organized by the General Directorate of Prison Administration and had a meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania.

Comprehensive 'social reintegration' assessment report will be drafted and launched in Tirana at the end of September 2014 which is expected to include a range of different measures in order to have maximum effect, including diversion from the criminal justice process, non-custodial sanctions and interventions to support former prisoners following release, and purposeful activities and rehabilitation programmes in prisons, including assisting with the planning and implementation of continuum of care and support in the community.

This programme component implemented by UNODC is generously supported by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) through UN Coherence Fund.

          

 

UNODC conducts a country visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of reviewing the implementation of UNCAC

1-3 July 2014, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: UNODC conducted a country visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of reviewing the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (fourth year of the first review cycle on the implementation of the Convention).
The round-table discussions in the context of this country visit were held in Sarajevo, involving Hungary and Portugal as reviewing States parties and UNODC as the Secretariat of the Mechanism for the Review of Implementation of UNCAC. The objective of the country visit was for the reviewing States parties to engage in direct dialogue on the review of implementation of the Convention at the domestic level with the relevant experts and representatives from national institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, both at the state and entities levels. The institutions from the state level and of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Brcko District were present, while the authorities from the Republika Srpska were unable to attend the discussions.
During the country visit, the visiting experts had meetings with officials from national institutions, both at the state and entities levels, involved in the implementation of anti-corruption measures and policies, as well as with representatives from Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the NGO Anti-corruption Network ACCOUNT.
As a result of the country visit, and after receiving additional material, as agreed with the national authorities, a country review report, based on the exchange of information and views during the country visit, is to be drafted to reflect the conclusions and findings of the round-table discussions. The draft executive summary of the country review report will be prioritized and eventually finalized in consultations with the national authorities. Upon finalization of the executive summary, the country review report will be adjusted and completed accordingly. The report will identify successes, good practices and challenges and make observations for the implementation of the Convention. Where appropriate, the report will include the identification of technical assistance needs for the purpose of improving the implementation of the Convention. The executive summary of the report will be translated in all United Nations official languages. The country review report itself shall remain confidential, unless the country under review decides to make it available in the public domain.

 

Fifth meeting of the Steering Committee of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe takes place in Vienna

30 June 2014, Vienna: The fifth meeting of the Steering Committee of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe (2012-2015) was held in the Vienna International Centre.

The meeting was opened by Mr. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, who noted in his speech that the participation of many senior representatives and Ambassads demonstrated the commitment displayed by all partners in furthering cooperation in South Eastern Europe. Mr. Fedotov appreciated support of the countries of the region in the delivery of the Regional Programme, as well as the donor contributions. He noted the tangible results with regard to the implementation of the Programme, in an integrated manner, based on effective and efficient action, as well as leveraging the experience and expertise in the region. In particular, he recalled the UNODC report on South Eastern European trafficking routes which is now widely used by countries in the region and beyond, the UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme in Albania and Montenegro, and now in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the UNODC work to confront corruption, especially in the context of the EU accession processes in the region, the good cooperation in the areas of human trafficking and migrant smuggling, as well as the outcomes of the implementation of drug use prevention and treatment programmes. The Executive Director also referred to new areas of work in the region, including anti-money laundering, social inclusion and fostering gender perspective. Mr. Fedotov underscore the UNODC's Inter-Regional Drug Control Approach, the "Networking the Networks" initiative and welcomed the participation of representatives of the regional organizations in the meeting - for the first time in the Steering Committee history. Finally, the Executive Director noted that in maintaining the Regional Programme in Vienna, UNODC is proving to be cost effective and efficient. He welcomed further cooperation of all partners under the Regional Programme's umbrella.

The Ambassadors and senior representatives of the countries of the region, partner and donor countries have also provided their opening remarks and welcomed the Regional Programme, underscoring that UNODC has managed to integrate itself into the plethora of initiatives undertaken by other partners without duplication. The countries of the region confirmed the ownership of the Regional Programme which is extremely important for UNODC. The representatives have underlined different thematic areas which were active in their countries and results of this work. They have also expressed appreciation to the donors of the Regional Programme and encouraged the continuation of their support.

UNODC has presented progress of the Regional Programme in the first half of 2014, by Sub-Programme, and demonstrated the delivery of the workplan which was approved by the last PSC meeting in November 2013.

In the session on the review of partnership opportunities, the regional organizations have made their statements and presented their work and their cooperation with UNODC. Statements were delivered by senior officials from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC), Secretariat of the Police Cooperation Convention for South Eastern Europe (PCC SEE), Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC), Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), as well as on behalf of the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe.

The next meeting of the Steering Committee is to be held in November 2014.

          

 

RACVIAC holds Seminar on Effective Practices of the Implementation of UNSCR 1540

26-28 June, Rakitje, Zagreb, Croatia: RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation, in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, organized a seminar on Effective Practices of the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (UNSCR 1540). Around 30 participants took part in the seminar, including the RACVIAC member countries and representatives of relevant international bodies such as the 1540 Committee, UNODC, International Atomic Energy Agency, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, WHO and OSCE.

UNSCR 1540 requires every state to criminalize the involvement of various forms of non-state actors in weapons of mass destruction and related activities in their national legislation and to enforce such legislation. The Committee established pursuant to the UNSCR 1540 is tasked to report on the implementation of UNSCR 1540 and to identify effective practices, templates and guidance to be used by States on a voluntary basis in implementing the Resolution.

UNSCR 1540 can be downloaded here.

The implementation UNSCR 1540 has received special attention in the European region where the states made efforts in preparation and submission of voluntary National Implementation Action Plans to the 1540 Committee, while Croatia and Poland conducted the first 1540 Peer Review in October 2013.

Following a successful execution of a pilot project activity on this topic in September last year, RACVIAC organized a similar event to support the implementation of UNSCR 1540. The two-day seminar was a good opportunity for national officials and representatives of intergovernmental organizations to discuss and share their practices in the implementation of UNSCR 1540. The purpose of the seminar was to present the Peer Review as an effective practices in its implementation.

http://www.racviac.org/news/index.html

UNODC supports regional seminar on prevention of corruption-trends and successful practices in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

26-27 June 2014, Tirana, Albania: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD) in cooperation with OSCE, UNDP and UNODC organized the regional expert seminar "Prevention of Corruption - trends and successful practices in Eastern Europe and Central Asia", which brought together more than 40 participants from 20 countries (government and civil society) plus more than 10 experts working for international organizations. The seminar was hosted by the Albanian Minister of State on Local Issues. The participants shared experiences of different national departments in the prevention of corruption and discussed initiatives which worked well and others which had lesser effects. Examples and presentations reached from the public service halls in Georgia and Azerbaijan and State finances as open data in Estonia to various research initiatives from civil society organizations.

The seminar was part of the OECD Thematic Cross-Country Review on Prevention of Corruption in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in 2013-2015 (which included another workshop held in Latvia in June 2013). The review will produce a comparative analytical report on corruption prevention in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The preliminary findings were presented at the seminar in Tirana and further inputs were sought from the participants for the finalization of the report (which will be released towards the end of this year/early next year).

The event is in line with the principles of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe, in particular the Inter-Regional Drug Control Approach. The UNODC representative presented the developments under the UNCAC Review Mechanism, including its upcoming second cycle, as well as led the topics of prevention of corruption, inter alia through improving access to public services and reducing regulatory burden.

          

 UNODC participates in marking of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Serbia

26 June 2014, Belgrade, Serbia: UNODC participated in a conference which presented results, achievements and recommendations of an EU Project 'Implementation of Strategy for Fight against Drugs (supply and reduction component)'. The conference was planned and became the key event in Serbia related to the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, having been attended by the Minister of Interior, Minister of Health, senior representatives of national institutions, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Ambassadors of European states and others.

The message of the UNODC Executive Director has been read out by a UNODC expert and reference to the release of the World Drug Report was made. UNODC experts also distributed the World Drug Report press release in English and in Serbian.

http://rs.one.un.org/news.php?id=472
http://rs.one.un.org/news.php?id=470

 

Marking the 2014 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Skopje

26 June 2014, Skopje, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: The UNODC Office in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has marked the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The message of the UNODC Executive Director and the United Nations Secretary-General were published on the UNDP web page in English

http://www.mk.undp.org/content/the_former_yugoslav_republic_of_macedonia/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2014/06/26/statement-from-mr-yury-fedotov-executive-director-of-unodc-on-international-day-against-drug-abuse-and-illicit-trafficking-/

http://www.mk.undp.org/content/the_former_yugoslav_republic_of_macedonia/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2014/06/26/message-of-the-un-secretary-general-on-the-international-day-against-drug-abuse-and-illicit-trafficking-/

The word on the Day was tweeted on https://twitter.com/UNDPMK

 

Marking of 26 June and Presentation of the UNODC Report on Illicit Drug Trade through South Eastern Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina

26 June 2014, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Following the official presentation in Vienna in March 2014, a presentation of the UNODC Report on Illicit Drug Trade through South Eastern Europe was held inSarajevo on 26 June 2014.

The event was hosted by the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and gathered representatives of this ministry, as well as Ministry of Civil Affairs, Border Police, Indirect Taxation Authority, Direction for Coordination of Police Bodies, Brèko District Police Administration, Federal Prosecutor's Office of Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina, FBiH Ministry of Interior, RS Ministry of Interior, RS Ministry of Health and Social Policy, Prosecutor's Office of BiH, RS Prosecutor's Office. All participants were provided with copies of the report as well as its partial unofficial translation and other materials.

Preceding the presentation of the Report, the UNODC representative provided a presentation of the overview of the UNODC general mandate and areas of work, as well as past, current and future activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting the work under the Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe and the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme. Furthermore, importance of the regional cooperation was pointed out during the discussion on trafficking routes through Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the role and efforts of law enforcement agencies and aspects of successfulness vs. available reports.

In subsequent discussions, all participants agreed that the Report presents a very good summary of available information assembled throughout the South Eastern European region and that it reflects the realistic situation with illicit drugs trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region. The importance of the link between the work of the police agencies in making seizures, analyses of the forensic laboratories and the quality of analyses provided to prosecution offices was also discussed.

The presentation was scheduled for 26 June to use an opportunity and mark the 2014 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. In this context, part of the event was devoted to marking the International Day. Statements of the UNODC Executive Director and the UN Secretary General were read out. Participants' attention was also directed to the new World Drug Report 2014 released on the same day.

Furthermore, the information on marking of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was posted at the UN BiH website and shared with all UN agencies represented in BiH for their information and further application:

http://www.un.ba/novost/10642/drug-abuse-still-responsible-for-the-loss-of-200000-lives-every-year

as well as at the website of the Ministry of Civil Affairs BiH (MoCA):

http://www.mcp.gov.ba/org_jedinice/sektor_zdravstvo/default.aspx?langTag=bs-BA&template_id=108&pageIndex=1

MoCA also provided an information package, including the UN statements and campaign logo to entities' and cantonal ministries of health for their further use and application. This information was further posted on their respective websites in some instances

http://www.zjzusk.com.ba/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=188:meunarodni-dan-borbe-protiv-zloupotrebe-droga-i-nezakonite-trgovine-drogama-26062014&catid=35:novosti&Itemid=37

Marking of 26 June in Bosnia and Herzegovina is evident also on the websites of the NGOs active in the field of drug prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, who are making their own important contribution for this International Day

http://www.rtvtk.ba/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=81%3Aeurope&id=15228%3Au-tuzli-obiljeen-meunarodni-dan-borbe-protiv-droge&Itemid=197

http://proslavi-oporavak.ba/medjunarodni-dan-borbe-protiv-ovisnosti/

http://www.bhrt.ba/vijesti/bih/medunarodni-dan-borbe-protiv-zloupotrebe-krijumcarenja-droge/

The above approach allowed to bring together the elements of both supply and demand reduction into the marking of 26 June in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

 

4PRESS RELEASE UNDER EMBARGO 14.00. CET, 26 JUNE 2014  

Global drug use prevalence stable, says UNODC World Drug Report 2014 

26 June 2014, Vienna, Austria (UNODC): Drug use prevalence is stable around the world, according to the 2014 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with around 243 million individuals, or 5 per cent of the world's population aged 15-64 having used an illicit drug in 2012.  Problem drug users meanwhile numbered about 27 million, roughly 0.6 per cent of the world's adult population, or 1 in every 200 people.

Launching the report in Vienna today, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, appealed for a stronger focus on the health and human rights of all drug users, but particularly those who inject drugs and are living with HIV.  "There remain serious gaps in service provision. In recent years only one in six drug users globally has had access to or received drug dependence treatment services each year", he said, stressing that some 200,000 drug-related deaths had occurred in 2012.

The UNODC chief said sustainable success in drug control required firm international commitment. A balanced and comprehensive approach addressing both supply and demand should be backed up by evidence-based responses focusing on prevention, treatment, social rehabilitation and integration. "This is particularly important as we move towards the Special Session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem in 2016", Mr. Fedotov stated. He also stressed that controlled substances should be made more widely available for medical purposes, including for ensuring access to pain medication, while preventing their misuse and diversion for illicit ends.

Deadly opioid substitutes, shrinking global cocaine supply and mixed picture of cannabis use

The surge in opium production in Afghanistan represented a setback, said Mr. Fedotov, since the world's largest opium poppy-grower had increased its area under cultivation by 36 per cent from 154,000 hectares in 2012 to 209,000 hectares in 2013.  With a crop yield of some 5,500 tons, Afghanistan accounted for up to 80 per cent of global opium production. In Myanmar, the area under opium poppy cultivation covered 57, 800 hectares, continuing the increase in cultivation begun after 2006. In 2013, the global production of heroin also rebounded to the high levels witnessed in 2008 and 2011.

The US, Oceania and some European and Asian countries have seen users switching between heroin and pharmaceutical opioids, a trend largely dictated by low prices and accessibility; but whereas dependent opioid users in the US are switching from  pharmaceutical opioids to  heroin, users in some European countries are replacing heroin with synthetic opioids.

The global availability of cocaine fell as production declined from 2007 to 2012.   Cocaine use remained high in North America, though decreasing since 2006. Whereas cocaine consumption and trafficking appear to be increasing in South America, Africa has already witnessed emerging cocaine use due to the rise in trafficking through that continent, while greater spending power has made some Asian countries vulnerable to cocaine use. 

Globally, cannabis use seems to be down but a perception of lower health risks has led to more consumption in North America. Although it is too early to understand the effects of new regulatory frameworks making the recreational use of cannabis legal in some states of the US and Uruguay under certain conditions, more people are seeking treatment for cannabis-related disorders in most regions in the world, including North America.

Seizures of methamphetamine more than doubled globally between 2010 and 2012. Methamphetamine manufacture expanded once again in North America, with a large increase in the number of meth laboratories dismantled in the US and Mexico. Of the 144 tons of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) seized globally, half were intercepted in North America and a quarter in East and South-East Asia.  The number of unregulated new psychoactive substances on the global market more than doubled to 348 from 2009 to 2013.

Controlling precursors, curtailing the supply of illicit drugs

The globalization of the chemical trade has made it easier to divert chemicals from legal to illegal uses.  However, the control of precursors, the chemicals needed to manufacture plant-based or synthetic drugs, has tangibly curbed such diversion.

Between 2007 and 2012, 15 per cent of diverted acetic anhydride, used to manufacture heroin, and 15 per cent of potassium permanganate, used to produce cocaine, were intercepted.  During that period, seizures of amphetamine and methamphetamine precursors were more than twice as high as seizures of the drugs themselves. Declines in the use of substances such as LSD and ecstasy in recent years can also be partly attributed to improvements in precursor control, which keeps the price of diverted chemicals high and raises the production costs of drugs.  In Afghanistan, acetic anhydride commanded up to $430 per litre in 2011, up from $8 in 2002, but it cost $1.50 per litre in the world's licit markets.

As progress has been made in tracking down precursors, criminals have turned to new tactics, such as creating front companies and diverting precursors within countries to circumvent international controls.  New unregulated "pre-precursors" have rapidly emerged as substitutes for the controlled precursors used to produce ATS.  Mr. Fedotov urged utmost vigilance: "Monitoring global chemical flows is especially important with the rising manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, which cannot be controlled with traditional supply reduction approaches such as crop eradication", he said.  "A robust international control system must remain a key supply control strategy".

For information, please contact:

Preeta Bannerjee, Public Information Officer: UNODC

T: (+43-699) 1459-5764 | M: (+43-699) 1459-5764 | E: preeta.bannerjee {at} unodc.org

 

  http://rs.one.un.org/news.php?id=472

 

UNODC consults with women's groups on the draft of the new Law on Whistleblowers Protection

25 June 2014, Tirana, Albania: UNODC hosted today a roundtable workshop to discuss the draft Albanian whistleblower protection law 2014 and how it would facilitate the reporting of acts of corruption by women. The workshop brought together representatives from the Office of the National Coordinator on Anti-Corruption, police, women's groups, civil society organizations, academics, UNDP and UNWOMEN, to discuss the legal reform project and to draft recommendations in regard to the reform.

At the opening of the workshop, Director of Cabinet, Minister of State on Local Issues/National Coordinator on Anti-Corruption, explained the steps which had been taken in regard to the preparation of the draft law and the estimated timeline of the next steps, including a consultative meeting wit civil society around mid-July 2014.

                   

UNODC subsequently highlighted in which ways the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) addressed the subject of reporting acts of corruption and referred to other international recommendations on the subject of whistle-blower protection and good practice examples.

The workshop was a follow-up event to a previous UNODC workshop on "Women and Corruption in Albania: Encouraging Reports of Corruption and Protecting Whistleblowers", held on 10 April 2014, as the result of which a list of proposals and recommendations was drafted with regard to measures which should be taken to ensure that women are able to come forward when affected by corruption.

Against the backdrop of these recommendations, in particular the recommendations on the protection of whistleblowers, the workshop participants now screened the draft legislation and discussed how it addressed the priorities and concerns of women's groups. As a result, a report is being drafted, which includes the comments raised by the workshop participants and which will be presented to the Government during the planned consultative process.

                   

The workshop was part of a series of Women and Corruption events, taken forward by UNODC in Albania aimed at encouraging women to come forward with reports of acts of corruption. It was supported by the UN Coherence Fund through the financial contribution of the Swedish Government.

 

Regional pilot training on trafficking in persons for criminal justice professionals of South Eastern Europe

24-25 June 2014, Belgrade, Serbia: UNODC andthe Judicial Academy  of the Republic of Serbia organized a Regional pilot training on trafficking in persons for criminal justice professionals of South Eastern Europe.

The initiative to develop and pilot the South Eastern Europe Trafficking in Persons Curriculum (SEE TiP Curriculum) is based on the results of the Regional Conference on criminal justice response to trafficking in persons which was organized by UNODC in Belgrade in October 2012 and one of its conclusions (i.e. that South Eastern European Judicial Training Institutions will initiate work on a regional curriculum on anti-human trafficking).

The aim of the SEE TiP Curriculum is to enhance harmonisation of training and subsequent practical work of criminal justice professionals on trafficking in persons cases in South Eastern Europe, with a focus on the issues that are identified as important in judicial and training practice of the region.

After the regional workshop in Budva, Montenegro, on 27-29 May 2014 which gathered focal points nominated by Judicial Training Institutions from the South Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Kosovo under the UNSCR 1244) and supported the concept of development of the SEE TiP Curriculum, training methodology and materials, the two-day training event in Belgrade tested practical implementation and effectiveness of the SEE TiP Curriculum. The Belgrade training was very practical, reviewed case studies and presented information in an interactive way ensuring hands-on approach.

 

UNODC presents the report 'The Illicit Drug Trade through South-Eastern Europe' to senior counterparts in Serbia

18 June 2014, Belgrade, Serbia: UNODC held a presentation of the report 'The Illicit Drug Trade through South-Eastern Europe' at the Ministry of Interior in Belgrade.

The presentation was attended by senior law enforcement officers and managers of the Serbian Ministry of Interior and the Customs Administration, Assistant Minister of Justice and officials from the Ministry of Health.

The report was prepared by UNODC and the countries of the South Eastern European region with the generous contribution of Turkey and launched in Vienna at the margins of the 57 th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The report can be reached through the following link: http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Studies/Illicit_DT_through_SEE_REPORT_2014_web.pdf

Subsequently, the report was unofficially partially translated into some of the languages of the region and its presentations are being organized in Podgorica, Belgrade and Sarajevo.  

In Belgrade, the UNODC officer presented the main findings of the report with the focus on heroin trafficking and the position of Serbia on the Balkan Route. The participants agreed with the findings of the report that 'heroin seizures in Serbia have dropped in the recent period, which is in line with the overall trend in South-Eastern Europe' that cannabis is increasingly becoming a major problem, and also that 'larger Serbian trafficking groups have moved away from heroin towards cocaine smuggling from South America to Europe'. The participants thanked UNODC for the report and said that it gives a good overall insight into the issue of illicit drugs in the region and in Serbia.

The participants of the meeting also discussed methodologies of data collection in South Eastern European countries in general, as well as other drug control related topics - from operational work and sharing operational data with international police bodies to strategy and policy in this field. Furthermore, the topic of the upcoming first drug survey in Serbia was raised, as well as the issue of increasing drug consumption in the country. Finally, the question of verdicts in drug-related cases was also mentioned. The meeting also recalled the UNODC-led Paris Pact Initiative, including its Drug Monitoring Platform.

http://www.mup.gov.rs/cms_lat/aktivnosti.nsf/180614-prezentacija.h

http://rs.one.un.org/news.php?id=469

          

UNODC and WCO hand over equipment to the Joint Port Control Unit and Anti-Drug Service in Albania 

17 June 2014, Tirana, Albania: In partnership with the Office of the General Director of the Albanian State Police, UNODC organized a hand-over ceremony of 13,200 Mercury Evidence Bags of various sizes. The evidence bags are an essential component of any crime scene investigation and forensic supplies and ensure correct collection, storing and documentation of seized drugs and other types of evidence which will then be used in court. The provided evidence bags bear the logo of the Albanian State Police.

The ceremony took place at the Headquarters of the State Police and was attended by the General Director of the State Police, the Chargé d'affaires of Switzerland / Head of the Swiss Development Cooperation in Albania, the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania, representatives of the Albanian State Police, donors and other partners, as well as media.

In his address, the General Director of the State Police stated that Albania is seeing tangible improvements in the fight against illicit trafficking in drugs. He mentioned that the UNODC-WCO contribution comes at the right time and referred to recent police operations to suppress illicit cultivation of Cannabis Sativa. The General Director also acknowledged long-standing practical cooperation with UNODC in enhancing control measures and capacities of the State Police.  

 

                   

                                 

The representative of Switzerland noted that the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme is assessed as an effective mechanism, and the UN Resident Coordinator pointed out that the UNODC assistance takes into consideration Albania's accession to the European Union by fulfilling the main conditions set to the Government: integrated border management, fight against organized crime and countering corruption.

The hand-over protocol was signed by the General Director of the State Police and the UN Resident Coordinator on behalf of UNODC. This contribution is part of the support offered to the Albanian Government under the Container Control Programme generously funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation.

  

Helpline in support of victims of crime launched in Albania

16 June 2014, Tirana, Albania: A 24-hour free telephone line, 116 006 , was set up and launched for victims of crime. This national helpline offers support and services to victims of crime, primarily victims and potential victims of trafficking, and is supported by UNODC as part of its continued partnership with the Office of the National Coordinator on Human Trafficking Issues. The ultimate goal of the helpline is to curb the number of trafficked women and children in Albania.

The ceremony, which also marked the launch of the application Report and Save, supported also by World Vision International organization, was attended by the Prime Minister of Albania H.E. Mr. Edi Rama, the Minister of Interior, the Ambassador of the USA in Tirana, the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania, the Acting Head of the EU Delegation and other dignitaries.

UNODC in close partnership with the Office of the National Coordinator on Human Trafficking Issues has carefully examined all elements of the helpline, in particular the needs of the victims and the involvement of the local communities in the reporting of offenses. This approach was specifically adapted to ensure the sustainability of the helpline and to prioritize prevention over prosecution and protection.

                   

                   

Speaking on behalf of UNODC, the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania stated that the free helpline for victims of crime was a significant practical achievement. The line will be not only help victims but also become a tool in support of law enforcement agencies and researchers assessing the criminality rate, as well as the performance of the police in addressing the reported cases. The Resident Coordinator noted that the UN believed that the new line would be synonymous with trust, ethics, advice and service.

UNODC in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior of Albania will be engaged in an active public awareness campaign basing on the premise that fight against human trafficking, drug trafficking and other forms of crime are critical issues impacting the overall situation in the country.

Setting up the helpline is an excellent example of UNODC's partnership with other international agencies in Albania in areas of mutual interest.

For further information: 

www.un.org.al

www.facebook.com/UnitedNationsAlbania    

www.twitter.com/UN_Albania

 

Albanian law enforcement officers meet with Montenegro counterparts

10 June 2014, Podgorica, Montenegro: A delegation from the Department of the Fight against Organized Crime of the General Directorate of the State Police of Albania accompanied by the Head of the Joint Port Control Unit of Durres visited Podgorica on an official visit organized with the support of UNODC. The visit followed the recent successful seizure of 250 kilograms of cocaine by Montenegro authorities supposedly destined for Albania.  

                   

                   

The visit was aimed at discussing details of the recent operation as well as exploring new ways of exchanging and sharing of information and undertaking of joint operations.

In the course of meetings between senior officials from the police and customs authorities of the two countries it was agreed that sharing information is critical in delivering efficient results of work. Enhancement of cooperation among different levels of law enforcement agencies was also reviewed and the parties agreed to consider application of specialized police techniques, such as undercover methods and controlled deliveries.

Under the Container Control Programme, UNODC and WCO provide technical support and advice on better port security in both Albania and Montenegro.

 

UNODC and the Ministry of Interior of Austria convene talks 

6 June 2014, Vienna: The UNODC Deputy Executive Director and the Head of the Criminal Intelligence Service of the Republic of Austria led today talks between the experts in the areas of human trafficking, organized crime, corruption and money laundering. The talks were resulting from the meeting between the UNODC Executive Director and the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Austria which took place two months earlier. The parties have briefed each other on the UNODC work in South Eastern Europe and in other parts of the world and agreed to keep contact in the future for the coordination of law enforcement work and mutual support.

 

           

The copyright belongs to the BMI            
  

UNODC and RACVIAC convene talks 

5 June 2014, Vienna: The UNODC Deputy Executive Director and the Director of RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation in South Eastern Europe - convened talks in Vienna in order to review the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two agencies at the end of 2013. UNODC and RACVIAC agreed to continue coordinating their efforts in order to ensure non-duplication.

In particular, RACVIAC has invited UNODC to join their planned activities in the areas of countering human trafficking and prevention of corruption. RACVIAC has already started coordinating these activities with other relevant regional organizations, including the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) and the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI). Combination of regional and global expertise will allow to maximize the practical output of the activities.

 

Presentation of the UNODC report 'The Illicit Drug Trade Through South-Eastern Europe' in Montenegro

3 June 2014, Podgorica, Montenegro: The presentation of the UNODC report 'The Illicit Drug Trade Through South-Eastern Europe' took place in the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro / Police Directorate and was facilitated by the member of the Steering Committee of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe.

Attendees of the Podgorica presentation were senior law enforcement officials from the national authorities, including the Police Directorate, the Border Police, the Administration for Prevention of Money Laundering, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Appellate Court and the office of the State Prosecutor.

The national counterparts have welcomed the report and emphasized its usefulness. The UNODC expert has handed out 20 copies of the partial unofficial translation of the report and presented its main findings. It was noted that in addition to other public reports that could be found on this subject, the UNODC report was the most comprehensive one so far to treat the Balkan route in its entire context. It was also stressed that the report was useful for anyone interested in getting a better understanding of the dynamics along the entire Balkan route.

Montenegro's position in the Balkan route was also discussed and the participants agreed with the findings of the Report that 'a decline in heroin business is observable' and that 'in contrast, cannabis shipments transported through the country and continuing northward are on the increase.'

The launch of the report took place in Vienna on 18 March 2014 and it is available in 

http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Studies/Illicit_DT_through_SEE_REPORT_2014_web.pdf

 

                                                                               

 

Regional Workshop on developing the regional curriculum on trafficking in persons for criminal justice professionals of South Eastern Europe

Przno/Budva, Montenegro, 27-29 May 2014: UNODC and the Judicial Training Centre of Montenegro organized a Regional Workshop on developing the regional curriculum on trafficking in persons for criminal justice professionals of South Eastern Europe.

The initiative to develop the South Eastern European trafficking in persons (TiP) Curriculum is based on the results of the Regional Conference on criminal justice response to trafficking in persons organized by UNODC in Belgrade in October 2012. Among the decisions of the Conference was the initiation of work with Judicial Training Institutions from South Eastern Europe on a regional curriculum on anti-human trafficking.

The aim of the South Eastern European TiP Curriculum is to enhance harmonisation of training and subsequent practical work of criminal justice professionals on trafficking in persons cases in the region, with a focus on issues identified as important in judicial and training practice of the South Eastern European countries.

The Budva Regional Workshop gathered focal points nominated by Judicial Training Institutions from South Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo under the UNSCR 1244, as well as Croatia) to develop the TiP Curriculum, to elaborate training methodology and materials and to plan a two-day pilot training in June 2014, based on the South Eastern European TiP Curriculum with the aim of testing its practical implementation and effectiveness.

Participants of the Regional Workshop studied human trafficking cases and addressed such topics as

  • risk assessment;
  • investigation - objectives, forms, and opportunities;
  • specialist techniques;
  • crime scene examination;
  • countering defence strategies and others.
    
                                                              		  
                                                                                                                          

 

UNODC participates in the 8 th Meeting of the SELEC Council

29 May 2014, Bucharest, Romania: UNODC participated in the 8 th Meeting of the Council of the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC) along with over 60 representatives of the law enforcement institutions from the SELEC Member States and guests from INTERPOL, RCC, Italy, UK and USA.

In the course of the meeting, the SELEC Council examined and approved the Annual Activity Report for 2013, the Audit Report for 2013 and the Budget for 2015, and discussed cooperation agreements with the USA and INTERPOL. The Council members granted the Operational Partner status both to USA and INTERPOL and mandated the Director General of SELEC to sign the agreements.

UNODC and SELEC have a Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2012. The next meeting of the two organizations is planned to take place in Vienna on 30 June 2014 at the margins of the 5 th meeting of the Steering Committee of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe.

 

UNODC participates in the Meeting of SEECP states' Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs

29 May 2014, Bucharest, Romania: UNODC participated in the meeting of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) states, organized by the Romanian Chairmanship of the SEECP. In addition to the Ministers and senior representatives of the SEECP states, the meeting was attended by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, the Vice-President of EUROJUST, and the Director General of SELEC. On the occasion, the SEECP Chairman in Office conveyed a message on the importance of strengthening regional cooperation in South Eastern Europe, as a decisive element for the candidate states or states aspiring to EU accession to continue drawing closer to the Union. The Romanian official underscored the fact that the meeting is one of the actions meant to contribute to implementing the priorities of the Romanian Chairmanship in Office of SEECP. The Romanian official expressed the belief that the ministerial meeting in Bucharest would contribute to developing a comprehensive Regional Action Plan addressing such key areas as fighting corruption and organized crime, migration management and confiscation of the proceeds of crime.

The UNODC Regional Representative for South Eastern Europe informed the meeting of the UNODC ongoing and planned work in the region, inter alia, in the above areas. 

The SEECP is a non-institutionalized regional cooperation structure established in 1996 and managed by the states of the region. Its objects are:

  • consolidating stability, security and good neighbourly relations;
  • strengthening the multilateral economic cooperation of the region, with a special accent on the cross-border cooperation, modernization of the transport, communications and energy infrastructure, the promotion of trade and investments;
  • promoting cooperation in humanitarian, social and cultural fields;
  • cooperation in the field of justice, fighting organised crime and illicit trafficking of drugs and weapons, as well as fighting terrorism.

 

UNODC supports the drafting of a new Strategy on the fight against human trafficking and trafficking in children in Albania 

5-6 May 2014, Durres, Albania: UNODC supports the Ministry of Interior of Albania in drafting of a new Strategy on the fight against human trafficking and trafficking in children (2014-2017). As part of these efforts, UNODC, in cooperation with the Office of the National Coordinator on Anti-Human Trafficking Issues, organized a retreat (workshop) in Durres on 5-6 May 2014. The objectives of the retreat were:

-     to provide information which could be used as background for the Strategy document;

-     to discuss the framework for drafting the document;

-     to assign tasks to the different collaborators; and

-     to begin the process of drafting with information collected by the participants on identified knowledge gaps.

                    

 

                    

     
               

                  

 

The retreat was attended by 40 participants from various government departments, civil society and international organizations and partners, including OSCE, IOM, PAMECA, ICITAP and ICMPD.

The Deputy Minister of Interior / National Coordinator on Anti-Human Trafficking Issues welcomed the participants, noted that the retreat was the first practical stage of drafting the new Strategy and its Plan of Action, and underscored the need for a consistent approach in this process.            

Participants agreed that the new Strategy should be built on four pillars: prevention, prosecution, protection and coordination. Furthermore, working in groups, in accordance with their areas of expertise, the experts agreed on the need to streamline the roles and processes across government departments and agencies.

At the end of the two-day retreat, the participants confirmed that it has helped with streamlining the drafting process for both the Strategy and its Plan of Action.

The presentations delivered during the retreat and key notes from the audience and group discussions are being consolidated into a report and peer-reviewed.

 Regional workshop on effective protection of victims and witnesses of trafficking in persons in criminal proceedings in the South Eastern Europe

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 29-30 April 2014: The Workshop on Strengthening International Cooperation in Criminal Matters in the South Eastern European (SEE) Countries was held 27-28 November 2012, Serbia, with representatives of the Central Authorities from the SEE countries and regional organizations. Since one of the main conclusions from the workshop was "...to organize a special workshop on improving the position of victims in criminal proceedings in the SEE through focus on avoiding secondary victimization and analyzing possibilities for compensation of victims", the workshop that took place in Sarajevo on 29-30 April 2014, is perceived as a continuation of the exchange of experiences and consultations among criminal justice professionals on a regional level. The conclusions of the Sarajevo regional workshop will be taken into consideration in the drafting of a background paper to a workshop of the Thirteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that will be held in Doha, Qatar, 12-19 April 2015, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 67/184 of 20 December 2012.

The regional workshop was held by UNODC in partnership with the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, thanks to financial contribution from France to the UNODC Global Programme against Human Trafficking. The regional workshop has built upon lessons learned and expertise developed as a result of UNODC's field presence in SEE and activities that UNODC carried out under previous projects and also complements on-going UNODC projects and other efforts against human trafficking in the SEE region.

The objective of the workshop was to improve the position of victims in criminal proceedings in the SEE through effective international cooperation with focus on avoiding secondary victimization and analyzing possibilities for compensation of victims.

 The main topics of the workshop were as follows:

  • Compensation for victims of trafficking in persons and related crimes (money laundering, online sexual exploitation of children, corruption of public officials, etc.) - best practices, methods and strategies;
  • Improving the situation of victims of trafficking in persons and related crimes in
    criminal proceedings, especially of minors, including avoiding revictimization;
  • International cooperation in cases of trafficking in persons and related crimes
    (legal framework, trends, patterns and best practices), including the role of competent authorities in obtaining victim or witness evidence from other countries in a manner that ensures their protection and security.

The regional workshop has gathered representatives of central authorities and focal points in prosecution offices for UNTOC and other international legal instruments from SEE, namely from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Regional organisations and institutions and NGO's from SEE that are active in the field of criminal justice were also represented, namely the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC); the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC); the Secretariat of the Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE), the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI), the SEE Prosecutors' Network (GIZ ORF, EU funded project) and NGO International Forum of Solidarity - EMMAUS (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The workshop has adopted a list of practical recommendations and conclusions.

                    
  

     

UNODC - WCO Container Control Programme: Technical Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina, 23-24 April 2014: UNODC-WCO mission drew a positive conclusion from the two-day technical mission and meetings with officials of the state-level law enforcement agencies participating in the global Container Control Programme (CCP).

The joint team of the UNODC and WCO officials visited Border Crossing/Customs Point in Bijača, designated site for the future work of the CCP Joint Unit, familiarizing itself with the current state of art developments towards construction of the final premises of the Unit, as well as general situation on prospects of the container traffic through this border crossing between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia (EU).

Furthermore, UNODC-WCO team observed front line level cooperation between border police and customs officers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia at Bijača that provides a good foundation for further exploring of cooperation modalities through implementation of CCP in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

 

The mission team discussed establishment of the profiling team, its operationalization and follow up arrangements of cooperation with the stakeholders in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, the UNODC-WCO team visited Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) Regional Center in Mostar, observing technical, theoretical and practical work of the law enforcement sector staff of ITA, considering future work and aspects of engagement within the CCP Joint Team.

The CCP received strong backing for the current and future engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as expressed by senior managers of ITA, and continued commitment of all partners to implement programme.

The technical mission will produce a report providing recommendation and guidelines on particular aspects of the CCP implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be presented to the partners. The engagement of CCP in Bosnia and Herzegovina is funded by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) / the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). A representative of DCAF participated in the mission.

 

UNODC and WHO facilitate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health and Civil Society in Albania

Tirana, 11 April 2014: The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Albanian Ministry of Health and civil society organizations offering services in the area of drug treatment and care took place in Tirana.

During the ceremony, speeches were delivered by the Deputy Minister of Health, Chief the Addiction Clinic at the Mother Teresa University Hospital Centre and the Presidents of the non-governmental organizations "Aksion Plus", "STOP AIDS" and "Komuniteti Emanuel-Albania". The ceremony was attended by health professionals, civil society activists, UN agencies and media.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is a result of cooperation of national governmental and non-governmental partners in a one-year-long initiative of UNODC and WHO within the framework of a Joint Project on Drug Treatment and Care implemented with a view to support the efforts of Albanian authorities in this area.

Through this partnership and cooperation Memorandum, each entity seeks to improve several important elements of work related to drug treatment, such as the skills of health and social workers; the participation in joint training programmes; and the exchange of professionals, treatment materials and medicaments between them for mutual enhancement of service quality.

The Memorandum is the first cooperation agreement formalized by the Albanian Ministry of Health with the civil society in this area.

                   

               

 

UNODC brings together civil society and government in Albania to support women in reporting corruption 

Tirana, 10 April 2014: UNODC in close cooperation with the Office of the National Coordinator on Anti-Corruption hosted a roundtable workshop bringing together civil society organizations, women's groups, UNDP, UNWOMEN, police and government departments, to identify and discuss ways in which Albanian women can be best supported in coming forward with reports of corruption.

At the opening the workshop, Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Welfare and Youth and the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania underlined how women are more likely to be exposed to bribery and corruption due to their traditional role as the key interface between the family unit and public administration, particularly in sectors such as health, education and social services.

Building on the key conclusions of an earlier UNODC anticorruption conference held in Tirana by UNODC in late 2012, participants held detailed discussions on the current obstacles preventing women from coming forward with reports of acts of corruption and considered how legislative and institutional frameworks can be improved in Albania so as to increase the reporting by women.

              Corruption workshop

Participants were facilitated by UNODC in addressing core themes including reporting tools and mechanisms, awareness-raising activities and the protection of reporting persons. In relation to each of these areas participants agreed upon a set of key observations and recommendations, to be finalized and agreed in an upcoming UNODC report. 

The workshop is a part of UNODC work currently being taken forward in Albania aimed at encouraging women to come forward with reports of acts of corruption. This work was designed to provide a voice to women in the context of the development of a new whistleblower protection law by the Albanian government.

Participants from both government and civil society organizations noted that the workshop and associated follow-up activities will ensure that the views and concerns of women will be reflected in the upcoming legislative reforms.

The series of Women and Corruption workshops is supported by the UN Coherence Fund through the financial contribution of the Swedish Government.

The workshop was widely covered by the media. Top News TV and Ora News TV offered a live broadcast of the event.

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Partners of UNODC: The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) encourages cooperation between police forces in the Balkans

Opatija, Croatia, 8 April 2014: Since 1999, the SDC has been supporting cross-border cooperation initiatives between the police forces of Western Balkans. Representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo under UNSCR 1244 and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as well as Switzerland and the Secretariat of the Police Cooperation Convention for South Eastern Europe met on 8 April 2014 at a Ministerial Conference designed to share good practices on the issue.

On the occasion of the Conference, the SDC webpage has published an interview with an Albanian customs officer participating in the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme in Albania, supported by the SDC. The interview can be found under the following link: http://www.deza.admin.ch/en/Home/News/Close_up?itemID=230089 

 

Albanian INSTAT and UNODC Launch Findings of the Survey on Impact of Bribery and Crime on Private Enterprises in Albania 

Tirana, 7 April 2014: The Institute of Statistics of Albania (INSTAT) and UNODC have launched the Survey on Impact of Bribery and Crime on Private Enterprises in the country. The study was prepared by INSTAT and UNODC with the financial support of the EU as part of a broader research project on corruption in Western Balkans which has been previously reported on (please refer to articles below).

The launch was attended by the Director of INSTAT as well as senior officials and representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Economy, Industry and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Integration, Customs Administration, Taxation Directorate, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the EU Delegation in Tirana, international organizations and media.

The survey was developed using a common and solid methodology which has been developed together with the national partners. The survey reports that corruption is the second most significant obstacle to doing business in Albania, after high taxes. Among other findings based on around 2,000 responses were:

  • The bribery prevalence rate among businesses is 15.7 per cent.
  • Bribe-paying businesses paid an average of 4.6 bribes to public officials in the 12 months prior to the survey.
  • There are some variations in the prevalence of bribery across business sectors in Albania: Accommodation and Food service activities (20.3 per cent); Transportation and Storage (20.1 per cent); Building and Construction (18.7 per cent); Manufacturing, Electricity, Gas and Water supply (14.1 per cent) and Wholesale trade and Retail trade (14 per cent).
  • In Albania, 35.7 per cent of bribes are paid in cash. The mean amount paid per bribe is 53,000 Leke which corresponds to 904 EUR-PPP.
  • The main purposes of paying bribes are to speed up a procedure (39.1 per cent), to make the finalization of a procedure possible (16.8 per cent) and receiving better treatment (7.2 per cent). In addition, 13.5 per cent of bribes paid served no specific immediate purpose.
  • The prevalence rate of bribes paid to public officials is highest for police officers (12.5 per cent), customs officers (12.3 per cent), tax/revenues officers (10.7 per cent) and municipal or provincial officers (10.2 per cent).
  • Only 2.2 per cent of the businesses paying bribes had reported bribery incidents to official authorities in Albania. Over one third (36.2 per cent) of business representatives did not report bribery because they consider there is no need to report bribery as it is common practice to pay or give gifts to public officials. In addition, almost one quarter (23.6 per cent) of respondents stated they did not report bribery because it would be pointless to report it as nobody would care about it.

UNODC commended the Government of Albania for its excellent cooperation in the undertaking of the research and for acknowledging the need to conduct this evidence-based survey as part of an on-going effort to curb corruption. In her address, the UNODC officer noted: "With this study, it is possible to provide concrete informative elements about corruption; we now have a better understanding of the nature of corruption and its impact on the businesses, economic and social development of Albania". Appreciation was also expressed towards the EU which has provided funding for the project.

 

                                                                                                                        

 

                                                                                                                                                           

 

Officers of the Joint Container Control Unit at Durres Port seize 2.4 tonnes of cannabis

Durres, 7 April 2014:  The regional border police exercised a routine control on a "Scania" truck with Macedonian number plates at the ferry terminal of DurresPort. The verification in the Technology, Information and Management System demonstrated that the driver had multiple in and out entries in the territory of the Republic of Albania in the period of 2013-2014. During the interview, the driver could not provide clear responses. In his interview and as per the customs declaration, the driver declared that he was exporting sofas from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to Bari, Italy.

The information as well as the disordered answers made the border police request assistance of the anti-narcotics officers of the Joint Container Control Unit operating at the Port of Durres and established under the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme in February 2013. Equipped with rubber hammer, buster, fiberscope, ladders, key sets and assisted by the counter-narcotics sniffing dog, the officers could seize  2,365 kg 79 gr of Cannabis Sativa concealed inside the sofas to be trafficked to Bari. The case is still under investigation.

This is the second case of excellent results of the officers of the Joint Container Control Unit of the Durres Port. Last year, the Joint Team succeeded in seizing about 8 kg of heroin which was meant to be trafficked to Italy. UNODC and WCO continue to provide support to the Durres Joint Container Control Team under the Joint Global Container Control.

 

UNODC Container Control mission visits Montenegro

Podgorica and Bar, 3 April 2014: UNODC mission has visited Podgorica and Bar in order to meet with Montenegro law enforcement agencies to discuss the establishment of the Joint Port Unit in the port of Bar under the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme (CCP).

The establishing of the Joint Unit and making it operational was discussed. Setting of the Joint Unit will be followed by analysis of the container traffic, agreeing on arrangements for the operational work, and eventually conducting of a practical training at the end of September 2014.

UNODC briefed officials about the CCP developments in Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and possibilities to further explore cooperation with Croatia in this area. Since the port of Bar has a Memorandum of Understanding on the exchange of information with the port of Bari in Italy, ways to further strengthen cooperation with Italian colleagues will also be investigated. 

                                                                                                                            

 

Meeting between UNODC Chief and Austrian Interior Minister focuses on South Eastern Europe, Afghanistan

Vienna, 3 April 2014 (United Nations Information Service): The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Yury Fedotov, met with the Austrian Minister of the Interior, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, today to discuss UNODC's activities in South Eastern Europe and elsewhere.

After the meeting, Mr. Fedotov said, "I welcome Austria's strong support for our work and UNODC is ready to continue our excellent cooperation in the Balkans under the umbrella of the South Eastern Europe Regional Programme."

"The importance of UNODC's Regional Programme extends far beyond the Balkans," Mr. Fedotov said. "The programme is tightly linked to other regional programmes, particularly in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, where it is part of our overall integrated approach to drugs and crime."

The so-called Balkans route is one of the main conduits for heroin coming out of Afghanistan. UNODC estimates that around 60-65 tons of heroin, valued at some US$13 billion, moves along the Balkans route to destinations in Western and Central Europe.

Mr. Fedotov also informed the minister that, in West and Central Asia, drugs and crime remain a threat to sustainable development and healthy institutions. Last year, UNODC's Afghan Opium Survey found that cultivation of opium had risen by 36 per cent, and opium production by 49 per cent.

In late 2013, UNODC organized a founding meeting of international organizations in Istanbul to discuss how best to counter heroin's movement from Afghanistan to Europe.  

Known as "networking the networks" the initiative is a component of an inter-regional drug control approach that is based on shared responsibility and fully aligned with the Paris Pact Initiative - a coalition of over 70 countries united to confront opiates.

                

           

 

 

Start of the implementation of the third cycle of Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 in Montenegro

Podgorica, 24-28 March 2014: The third cycle of Strengthening Families Programme for children of age 10-14 years old (SFP 10-14) has started in Montenegro with a training of 15 facilitators and 5 trainers of facilitators.
The attendees being trained as facilitators were selected from five elementary schools from Podgorica, which were not previously involved in the SFP 10-14 delivery, thus increasing the  coverage of the programme in Montenegro. More specifically, participants of the training were delegates from elementary schools in Podgorica delegated by the Ministry of Education to be included in the third cycle of SFP 10-14: "Milan Vukotic", "Milorad Musa Burzan", "Savo Pejanovic", "Branko Bozovic" and "Vuk Karadzic". The purpose of the training was to strengthen their knowledge and skills to adequately prepare facilitators who would ensure the implementation  of the programme in their settings  onwards. Furthermore, the schools were provided with presentational equipment (laptops, projectors and flip charts) in order to support the qualitative implementation of the training sessions and sustainability of the project realization.
The training was organized with the help of the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and NGO CAZAS. This training will be followed by training sessions organised in elementary schools for families and children in April-May 2014.

 

                                    

 

                     
                                                       

 UNODC and WHO support the first National Drug Treatment Conference in Albania

Tirana, 21 March 2014: The first National Drug Treatment Conference took place in Tirana and provided a platform for 140 primary care physicians, clinicians, toxicologists, psychiatrists, pharmaceutical professionals, internists and representatives of relevant civil society organizations to discuss important national drug treatment issues and new therapeutics.

                                                                                        

The conference was organized by the Clinic of Addiction at the Mother Teresa University Hospital Center in association with the Albanian Ministry of Health and was supported by UNODC and WHO.

The conference focused on the interdisciplinary fields of drug use, drug therapy and respective treatment, care and medicine. Furthermore, the conference became a forum where health professionals from various areas and civil society activists could present their work. In the course of the conference, the participants had an opportunity to network and be involved in inspiring and stimulating professional discussions. A large number of students from the Faculty of Medicine of the Tirana University also participated in the conference and assessed it as very educational.

The conference was a valuable opportunity for those, interested in the area of drug treatment and care, to gain knowledge from the contributions of eminent professionals.

A new publication entitled "The Multidisciplinary Treatment of Drug Use and Alcohol" was introduced at the conference.

                                                               

                                                                                                                                                

Launch of the UNODC Report 'The Illicit Drug Trade through South Eastern Europe'

Vienna, 18 March 2014: UNODC has launched a report "The Illicit Drug Trade through South Eastern Europe" prepared under the umbrella of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe in close cooperation with the countries of the region and with support of the Government of Turkey.

The launch of the report took place at the margins of the 57 th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs as its side event and was attend by approximately 90 participants, including Ambassadors of the countries of South Eastern Europe, Turkey and the European Union.

In their speeches, Ambassadors highlighted common challenges faced by the region and the transnational nature of drug trafficking. They noted that this challenge affects the overall socio-economic development of the region and the EU accession process in the countries. All speakers expressed appreciation for the preparation of the report and agreed that a comprehensive assessment which it represents is a useful tool and should be taken into account by policy makers and law enforcers in their countries. In this context, the Ambassador of the European Union acknowledged the importance of the report, confirmed that UNODC and the EU are working in a complimentary manner and stressed that effective countering of drug trafficking is an important element of the EU integration and enhances peace, stability, security and freedom in South Eastern Europe.

The speakers also noted that it is important to ensure cooperation not only within the South Eastern European region (and stressed that this cooperation is already very advanced on bilateral and regional levels) but also at earlier and later stages of the Balkan drug trafficking route. In this context, they find the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe and the UNODC Inter-regional drug control approach very useful.

Talking about practical cooperation within the region, Ambassadors of Montenegro and Serbia referred to the operational example of joint work of the law enforcement agencies in the two countries in the case of Darko Saric who was arrested on the same day and will now be brought to justice under charges of trafficking in significant amounts of cocaine and large scale money laundering in the region.

Country representatives also expressed concern with regard to the situation with drug abuse in the region. While absolute figures may not be very high, the South Eastern European market is comparable with those in Western Europe, and this poses a significant risk for the countries.

In her remarks, the Ambassador of Turkey has informed about the proposed future cooperation with the Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC) which will be one of the practical follow-up actions to the report. UNODC will also foster the continuation of cooperation in this area, inter alia through the members of the Steering Committee of the Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe and its offices in the region.

The report is available under the following link:  http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/publications-by-date.html

 

UNODC-WCO Mentorship Visit to the Port of Durres, Albania

Durres, 3-7 March 2014: A UNODC-WCO mentorship visit was organized to the Port of Durres in the framework of the Container Control Programme implemented by the agencies in the country.

The purpose of the visit was to monitor and supervise the daily work of the Joint Port Control Unit (JPCU) in Durres which was established within the Programme. The visit was designed to positively impact the work of the JPCU by providing its officers with hands-on support and learning opportunities through practical observations, feedback, advice, sharing best practices and lessons learnt.

                
                                      		  

The visit started with a one day in-door theoretical session, in the course of which the officers could review and analyse all manifested data and profile risk containers. This was followed by outdoor practical experiences whereby the JPCU officers could examine containers previously identified and selected on the basis of risk indicators. At the end of the mentorship visit, the officers shared an opinion that such visits offer long-term benefits to the efficiency of their work.

                                                                                                           

      

 

                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                         

                                                            

                                                                             

 

UNODC and WCO organize awareness workshop on maritime private sector

 Tirana, 4 March 2014: The UNODC Project Office in Tirana in cooperation with the Customs Administration and the State Police Directorate of Albania organized a one day awareness workshop on the maritime private sector with the intention of developing an effective interagency cooperation and improveinformation sharing withthe local and international maritime community and private sector.

                                  

The workshop was attended also by the heads of the Consolidation of Law Enforcement Capacities in Albania (PAMECA), the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program of the USA Department of Justice (ICITAP) and an international development company Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations.

The customs and police authorities, representatives of the maritime community and private sector had a detailed discussion on the need to identify and align data standards, business processes and resources. The participants agreed on the development of a mechanism which would enable information sharing among these entities.

The workshop pointed out that such cooperation and information sharing would contribute to the reduced friction of legitimate commerce, increased efficiency, improved security, enhanced safety and less diversion of the licit trade into illicit circulation.

The workshop was organized under the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme in Albania which is at present supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The workshop was widely covered in the Albanian electronic media.         

                                                                               

            

Consultations between UNODC and H. E. Mr. Bledi Çuçi, Minister of State for Local Government of Albania

Vienna, 28 February 2014: H. E. Mr. Bledi Çuçi, Minister of State for Local Government of Albania, visited Vienna for consultations with the Austrian counterparts, International Anti-Corruption Academy in Laxenburg and UNODC.

At UNODC, the Minister met with the Executive Director Mr. Yury Fedotov and the Director, Division for Treaty Affairs Mr. John Sandage as well as senior anti-corruption experts. The counterparts exchanged views on possible areas of cooperation in the field of anti-corruption between UNODC and Albania, including the UNCAC Implementation Review Mechanism, educational programmes aimed at preventing and countering corruption and other initiatives.

H. E. Mr. Çuçi stressed the attention paid to anti-corruption in Albania and the commitment of the national authorities in fighting this challenge. He also recalled the negative impact that corruption has on Albania, as well as on other countries. The Minister briefed on the initial steps which he has undertaken in the function of the national anti-corruption coordinator and informed that a short-term plan for 2014 and a longer term workplan for the next five years are being elaborated in his office.

UNODC will cooperat with the Government of Albania in the area of anti-corruption in accordance with the 2014 workplan approved by the Steering Committee of the Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe on 21 November 2013. Part of these activities fall under the umbrella of the One UN Programme in Albania.

The UNODC counterparts noted that anti-corruption cooperation with Albania would be useful within all three pillars of UNODC work, including the normative function, the technical assistance and the research role. The latest UNODC report on corruption as experienced by private sector in Albania prepared in cooperation with the Albanian National Statistical Office (INSTAT) as part of the EU-funded programme 'Assessment of Corruption and Crime in the Western Balkans', is about to be launched in Tirana.

The counterparts have agreed to continue maintaining contact through the UNODC Office in Tirana and the UNODC HQ in Vienna.

 

 

UNODC team participates in the 4 th meeting of the Police Cooperation Convention for South Eastern Europe

Ljubjana, 13-14 February 2014: Upon the invitation of the Secretariat of the Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE) based in Ljubjana, Slovenia, a UNODC team participated in the 4 th meeting of the PCC SEE. As part of the established in 2013 dialogue with the PCC SEE Secretariat, the UNODC team discussed common areas for cooperation, in particular the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme (CCP) operating in the region, and also delivered to the meeting a detailed presentation and a video on the CCP.

                           

 

                       

 

    The UNODC team participated in practical review of various activities delivered under the PCC SEE. Many of the items discussed had a nexus to migrant smuggling and human trafficking between PCC SEE member states and the EU countries. Other law enforcement tools, deriving from the Convention, were analyzed by the meeting participants, including mixed patrols, hot pursuit (involving crossing borders), controlled delivery, etc.

Several of the discussed topics will be further explored by UNODC. Among them are e-learning modules for cross-border police cooperation, a communication system called "Border Sentry" which is soon to be operational and hosted by the PCC SEE Secretariat in Ljubljana and the conduct of train-the-trainer courses focusing on training techniques in cooperation with Switzerland. UNODC will review the relevance of these initiatives to the UNODC work in the region and best ways of cooperation with them.

 

Training course for the Durres Joint Port Unit held

Durres, 10-13 February 2014: Within the framework of the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme, UNODC Office in Tirana organized a participative risk based training course in order to maximize the preventive and operational effectiveness of the Joint Port Unit .

 The course was designed to illustrate Albania's position vis-à-vis the European and global smuggling of controlled narcotic substances, as well as to describe the organized crime links to the smuggling of other prohibited, restricted and dutiable items. The course was not designed to be remedial, but to highlight the current narcotic smuggling risks, trends and concealment methods and to demonstrate the latest intelligence and enforcement techniques available to the Joint Port Unit in the performance of its daily duties.

 The training course was conducted by the Albanian trainers who had previously benefitted from a risk analysis training of trainers organized by UNODC within the scope of a long-standing UNODC project ALB/G70 which used to support various law enforcement areas in the country.

 The course was also considered a good opportunity for the Joint Port Unit to set closer contacts with the respective risk analysis departments at their respective entities.

                                                                                                                                        

 

UNODC participates in the South Eastern European Regional Steering Group on Small Arms and Light Weapons

Belgrade, 12 February 2014: UNODC participated in the meeting of the South Eastern European Regional Steering Group on Small Arms and Light Weapons. The Regional Steering Group meeting, chaired by the Regional Cooperation Council and UNDP, is a part of the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) governance structure and provides political and strategic guidance and ensures regional ownership.

The UNODC representative made a statement regarding the UNODC Global study on firearms trafficking and provided a short training to the national focal points attending the event on how to access, download, collect, compile and submit data on seized firearms for the purpose of the Study.

The participation of the UNODC representative is in line with the consultations which UNODC held last year with SEESAC and UNDP under the umbrella of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe.

The workplan for 2014 of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe  includes inter alia collection of information from the countries of the region with regard to the UNODC Global study on firearms trafficking in cooperation with the SEESAC.

The preparation of the study is in line with resolution 5/4 of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime entitled "Illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition" and resolution 6/2 entitled "Promoting accession to and implementation of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime".

Pursuant to paragraph 7 of resolution 5/4 and paragraph 7 of the resolution 6/2, UNODC was requested "to conduct a study of the transnational nature of and routes used in trafficking in firearms, based on the analysis of information provided by States on confiscated weapons and ammunition for consideration by the Conference at its sixth session". At its subsequent session, the Conference took note of the information gathered so far by UNODC in carrying out the study and requested UNODC "to improve methodology, in close consultation with Member States, and to complete the study in accordance with the given mandate, for consideration by the Conference at its seventh session". The Conference furthermore called upon States "to participate in and contribute to the study, as appropriate".

 

Launch of the UNODC report on Business, Corruption and Crime in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Skopje, 4 February 2014: The UNODC report "Business, Corruption and Crime in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: The Impact of bribery and other crime on private enterprise" was launched in the premises of the State Statistical Office in Skopje. The results of the survey were presented by the statistical officers. 

The survey measures the actual experience of corruption and crime through representative sample surveys of businesses in order to provide a more realistic, evidence-based assessment of corruption and crime affecting the business sector. In doing so, it focuses on the extent and pattern of bribery by businesses from five different sectors (accounting for over 69.1 per cent of all businesses in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) in their frequent interactions with the public administration.

According to the survey, business representatives in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia rank corruption as the fifth most significant obstacle to doing business. Around eight out of ten companies had at least one direct contact with a public official or civil servant in the 12 months prior to the survey and the bribery prevalence rate among those businesses who had contact with public officials in that period is 6.5 per cent.

Bribe-paying businesses paid an average of 4.8 bribes to public officials in the 12 months prior to the survey. 52 per cent of bribes are paid in the form of food and drink. When paid in cash, the mean amount paid per bribe is 17,349 Denar which corresponds to 689 EUR-PPP.

On average one out of ten (10.3 per cent) entrepreneurs in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia state that they did not make a major investment in the previous 12 months due to the fear of crime.

The survey reveals that there are some variations in the prevalence of bribery across business sectors in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Building and Construction (11.7 per cent); Wholesale trade and Retail trade (7.5 per cent); Manufacturing, Electricity, Gas and Water supply (5.1 per cent); and Accommodation and Food service activities and Transportation and Storage combined (3.8 per cent).

The survey represents the first attempt to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the actual experience of business bribery in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in order to help identify effective measures to fight it.

As the data pertaining to the perception of corruption reveal, public opinion about corruption in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia shows a considerable level of concern about the issue. A window of opportunity is, therefore, open as it is likely that business organizations, as well as their constituent members, would welcome the further implementation of anti-corruption policies.

The research programme resulting into preparation of this and other studies for the region was undertaken by UNODC in co-operation and with the financial support of the European Commission and the Governments in the region. For further information with regard to this research programme, please refer to:

http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2013/October/new-unodc-survey-highlights-corruption-as-one-of-the-major-obstacles-to-doing-business-in-the-western-balkans.html

http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/corruption/publications.html

UNODC Executive Director holds a briefing to Member States on the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe

Vienna, 28 January 2014: UNODC Executive Director Mr. Yury Fedotov held the annual briefing to Member States on the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe (2012-2015). The briefing focused on the results of the UNODC work in the region in 2013 and the plan of work for 2014.

In his opening remarks, the UNODC Executive Director thanked the Governments of the countries of the region for their support and cooperation and outlined the main principles of the UNODC work in South Eastern Europe:

  • the Inter-Regional Drug Control Approach;
  • impact orientation;
  • strategic identification of the UNODC niche to avoid duplication and ensure meeting the real needs of the countries, in particular given that so much is done already;
  • focus on practical and operational results; and
  • cost-efficiency.

 

        

      

 

Mr. Fedotov stressed that the Regional Programme represents a tool which can support the EU integration, which is of paramount importance for the region, and assist in building a comprehensive response, which is directed not only to the West, but also to the East. He referred to the latest UNODC estimates which suggest that up to 60-65 tons of heroin flow into South Eastern Europe annually, and also mentioned the challenge increasingly posed by the cannabis cultivation in Albania. Mr. Fedotov noted that a study on drug trafficking routes through South Eastern Europe will be released by UNODC in March 2014.

The team of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe presented the details of work in 2013 and on the workplan for 2014. The main areas of work in the current year will be:

  • anti-drug trafficking and container control;
  • anti-money laundering;
  • anti-human trafficking;
  • anti-corruption; and
  • drug abuse prevention and treatment.

The UNODC Inter-Regional Drug Control Approach to stem drug trafficking from Afghan drug cultivation and production was also presented and the comprehensive response to trafficking along the Northern, Balkan and Southern routes of Afghan heroin were explained.

The Permanent Representatives of the countries of South Eastern Europe delivered their remarks and acknowledged the usefulness, complementarity and effectiveness of the Regional Programme. According to them, the Regional Programme represents an expedient tool in the EU accession process and is not duplicating but complementing the work in this area. All Permanent Representatives thanked UNODC and expressed their support to the Regional Programme, as well as appreciated donor contributions and encouraged continuation thereof.

The Permanent Representatives and diplomats from the donor countries then spoke and expressed their support to the Regional Programme.

 

          

 

UNODC and UNDP sign an inter-Agency contribution Agreement in Support to the Anti-Corruption Efforts in Kosovo*

31 January 2014: UNODC and UNDP have signed an Agreement on the joint implementation of a project entitled 'Support to the Anti-Corruption Efforts in Kosovo (SAEK)'. UNODC will carry out a range of activities aimed at addressing corruption within the judiciary internally and at enhancing the ability of  the judiciary and prosecution services to effectively investigate and prosecute corruption cases in Kosovo.

UNODC's involvement will start with an initial assessment to determine legal, organizational and capacity development needs to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption internally and externally. UNODC will then proceed with the delivery of a series of workshops to increase the capacity of the judiciary to address internal corruption offences and to enhance the personal and institutional integrity of members of the judicial system. UNODC will also develop tailored training materials and deliver specialized training workshops to provide the judiciary with the pertinent skills to investigate corruption cases. UNODC will also provide support to judicial institutions in the production and harmonization of relevant ant-corruption legislation and guidelines in accordance with international standards, as well as deliver workshops aimed at enhancing the capacity of government to conduct their work effectively. The project will further strengthen cooperation and coordination amongst anti-corruption bodies and produce anti-corruption policies and guidelines. The expected outcome of the project is that the ability of the judiciary to fight corruption internally and externally will be increased.

* All references to Kosovo should be understood in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).

UNODC fosters cooperation with the South Eastern European Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC)

Zagreb, 24-25 January 2014: A UNODC technical mission visited RACVIAC (the South Eastern European Centre for Security Cooperation) at its premises in Rakitje, near Zagreb, Croatia. One of the main aims of this visit was to explore possibilities for cooperation and partnership between the two bodies in order to build on their added value and achieve synergies, since both deal with security and crime matters from different perspectives. The visit follows the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between UNODC and RACVIAC on 21 October 2013. 

The RACVIAC management and staff presented the organization's mandates, achievements and capacities for organization of trainings and meetings at its premises. The UNODC delegation was also briefed in details on the RACVIAC's 2014 Working Program for the region and its three pillars: Security Sector Reform, International and Regional Cooperation and Cooperative Security Environment with focus on Arms Control.

The UNODC delegation informed the RACVIAC counterparts on the relevant aspects of work within the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe (2012-2015),  as well as on the UNODC's 'Networking the Networks' initiative under its Inter-Regional Drug Control Approach.

The two sides agreed on the follow up and identified activities to be pursued.