From the 14 to 15 of February, 2013, in Vienna, UNODC hosted a high-level conference on the illicit trafficking of fraudulent medicines - a form of transnational organized crime which threatens public safety.
The conference brought together experts from regulatory and law enforcement agencies, regional and international organizations, industry and business associations, civil society, and Member States, to discuss the illicit production, distribution and trafficking in fraudulent medicine.
The high-level session was opened by the Executive Director of UNODC, Mr. Yury Fedotov; the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Mr. Kunio Mikuriya; the President of INTERPOL/ICPO, Mrs. Mireille Ballestrazzi; the Director of Essential Medicines and Health Products, World Health Organization (WHO), Mr. Kees de Joncheere and the Ambassador on Organized Crime, Government of France, H.E. Ms. Michèle Ramis.
The main objectives of the conference were to broaden understanding about the crime aspect of the problem through the sharing of experiences regarding the challenges and responses adopted at national level, by regional and international organizations, as well as by public and private sector entities and to pinpoint gaps and explore synergies, in order to foster effective international collaboration.
UNODC's Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, noted that trafficking in fraudulent medicine presents the international community with a threat to health, a development challenge as well as crime organized on a transnational scale. Mr. Fedotov highlighted the critical role that the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) has to play in confronting this issue.
In 2011, the 20th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) adopted resolution 20/6 on fraudulent medicines highlighting the potential utility of the UNTOC in re-enforcing international cooperation in the fight against trafficking in fraudulent medicine and providing a mandate to UNODC for further work in this area. This meeting, which was funded by extrabudgetary contribution from the Government of France, was the first step toward implementation of this mandate.
A summary of the meeting will be reflected in the report on the implementation of Resolution 20/6, to be presented for consideration to the 22 nd Session of the CCPCJ in April 2013.
(i) Agenda: English and French
(ii) Background Note: English and French
(iii) Resolution 20/6: English and French
(i) Mr. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC
(ii) Ms. Anastasia Nikitina, Senior expert, Federal Service of Healthcare Control, Russian Federation
(iii) Mr. Bernard Frahi, Vice President, Corporate Economic Security, Sanofi
(iv) Mr. Chris Vansteenkiste, Focal Point, Operations Department, Europol
(v) Dr. Domenico Di Giorgio, Director of Counterfeit Prevention Unit, AIFA - Medicines Agency
(vi) Mr. Gopa Kumar, Third World Network
(vii) Ms. Karen Kramer, Senior Expert, Implementation Support Section, Organized Crime Branch, UNODC
(viii) Mr. Kees de Joncheere, Director, Essential Medicines and Health Products, World Health Organization
(ix) Ms. Linda I. Marks, Senior Litigation Counsel, Department of Justice, USA
(x) Dr. Maximiliano Derecho, Legal Advisor, National Programme for the Control of Medicines and Medical Products (A.N.M.A.T.), Argentina
(xi) Mr. Motoyuki Okura, Technical Attache, WCO
(xii) Ms. Nicole Maric, Criminal Justice Official, Implementation Support Section, Organized Crime Branch, UNODC
(xiii) Mr. Roy Vancauwenberghe, Inspector, Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, Belgium
(xiv) Ms. Sabine Walser, Administrative Officer, European Directorate for Quality of Medicines and HealthCare (EDQM) (Council of Europe)
(xv) Captain Sergio Tirrò, Head of Legal Studies and Training Section, Carabinieri N.A.S., Italy
(xvi) Mrs. Sybil Nana Ama Ossei-Agyeman-Yeboah, Professional Officer in Charge, West Africa Health Organization (WAHO/ECOWAS)
(xvii) Ms. Tatiana Shishova, Deputy Head of the Section, Ministry of Interior, Russian Federation
(xviii) Mr. Ts. Ganbold, Head of Internal Policy Division of the Ministry of Justice, Mongolia
(xix) Mr. Wilfred Roge, Director of Studies, International Institute against Counterfeit Medicine (IRACAM)
(xx) Mr. William Reid, Senior Director, Global Anti-Counterfeiting Operations, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)
(xxi) Mr. Hashim Ubale Yusufu, Director, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria
(xxii) Mr. Zhang Xintao, Deputy Director/Associate Senior Pharmacist, Institute for Food and Drug Technical Surveillance, China
