10 February 2014 - Meeting today, senior staff from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) reviewed results from their joint cooperation.
Speaking at the meeting, UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, said, "UNODC is the lead entity of the UN Secretariat in helping to address some of the most urgent threats to development and security that Member States face. These include drugs, organized crime, illicit trafficking, corruption and terrorism."
Mr. Fedotov noted the "exemplary cooperation" between the two organizations and said that the OSCE, with its focus on the promotion of comprehensive security and its network of field operations, was "an important regional partner in these endeavours."
"Cooperation is a necessity because transnational threats cannot be tackled by States on their own, said Lamberto Zannier, OSCE Secretary General.
"We need shared strategies, so Joint Action Plans and exchange of information and ideas between OSCE and UNODC staff are very important. I look forward to continuing close cooperation between our two organizations, especially through joint initiatives on the ground, and also exploring new areas for joint work."
UNODC cooperates with the OSCE on such challenges as illicit firearms, enhancing the ratification and implementation of the 18 universal anti-terrorism instruments in the OSCE region, and combating new and emerging forms of transnational organized crime, including trafficking in cultural property and cybercrime.
The UNODC and OSCE have been meeting for several years to review issues connected to drugs, crime, terrorism and security. In 2010, the relationship was formalised when Mr. Fedotov and the then OSCE Secretary General, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, agreed to improve planning and operations through a Joint Plan of Action.
