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Vienna, 2 February 2023 - 302 focal points, governmental experts, observers, and representatives from Permanent Missions to the United Nations, involved in the Mechanism for the Review of the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols thereto (UNTOC Review Mechanism) participated in the online training sessions organized by UNODC from 23 January until 1 February 2023 on the functioning of the Mechanism and on the use of REVMOD, the platform to conduct the country reviews. |
The training sessions, offered in different languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish), gave relevant stakeholders insights into the procedures and rules, and on the methodology of the UNTOC Review Mechanism, as well as provided practical guidance and information on the use of the REVMOD platform.
“The UNTOC Review Mechanism Secretariat helps strengthen the capacity of focal points, governmental experts and relevant stakeholders, for example by training them on the process and familiarize them with the tools available to facilitate their engagement in the review process. Our ability to provide this support in multiple languages is key in reaching out to all stakeholders and ensuring that they are empowered to embrace the various aspects of the country reviews” highlighted Morgane Nicot, Programme Coordinator, UNODC Global Programme to Support the Mechanism for the Review of the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto.
Rajas Swamy, the focal point of Nauru who participated in one of the sessions, emphasized the need to acknowledge the significance of private sector’s engagement in the UNTOC Review Mechanism. “Private partners’ inputs”, underlines Mr. Swamy, “are critical in providing a more accurate picture of the country’s state of the implementation of UNTOC and of its Protocols.”
Participants from more than 110 countries (44% women) registered to attend the Training Week. 65% of the registered participants attended the training for the first time. The growing number of registered participants (a 41% increase compared to the 2022 training sessions) reflects stakeholders’ ongoing demand for guidance and training to engage more effectively in the UNTOC review process.
“During the training, I had the opportunity to get a clearer picture of the functioning of the UNTOC Review Mechanism and of my role” emphasized Olga Ionaş, governmental expert of the Republic of Moldova. “I realized the significance of coordinating closely among the three States involved”, she added.
The UNTOC Review Mechanism, established in 2018 by resolution 9/1, is a peer review process whereby two States parties review another State party’s status of implementation of UNTOC and its three Protocols.
The review process takes place almost entirely online through the REVMOD platform, which allows all stakeholders to carry out the country reviews independently from their location. REVMOD provides a secure online space for the State party under review and its reviewers to exchange information relating to the implementation of the Convention and the Protocols, with full confidentiality. REVMOD hosts all steps of the review process, from filling out of the self-assessment questionnaire to submitting the summary of the list of observations.
This 4th series of training sessions, organized by UNODC Global Programme to Support the Mechanism for the Review of the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto, follows previous training series held in March 2022 (95 countries – 348 registered participants, 154 women), in May 2021 (69 countries – 239 registered participants, including 92 women), and in February 2021 (67 countries, 321 registered participants, including 160 women).
Stakeholders who have not attended the training and wish to know more about the UNTOC Review Mechanism and the use of REVMOD, can access the self-paced online learning course developed by UNODC, available in all UN official languages.
The next Training Week is provisionally planned for the Summer of 2023.
For more information:
UNTOC Review Mechanism website
