Vienna, 8 November 2024. The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (COP) is the world’s primary policy forum for addressing transnational organized crime at the global level, and its 12th session was held this October 14-18 in Vienna. A record 1,400 participants from 131 States, 15 intergovernmental organizations, and 212 non-governmental organizations came together for the Conference, which concluded after five days of discussions focused on implementing and strengthening measures to address transnational organized crime, including in its new and emerging forms.
Parties to UNTOC – the world’s only global, legally binding instrument through which governments commit to act and cooperate against organized crime – meet every two years at the COP to increase their capacity to combat organized crime, review the implementation of UNTOC and its Protocols, and set the anti-crime agenda. The COP is also the home of the UNTOC Review Mechanism, which was created and launched at its 9th and 10th sessions respectively.
Several events at the Conference focused on the UNTOC Review Mechanism, which is the key driver in the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols as well as the only process that brings together States parties to cooperate in implementing the instruments through a peer-review process. This process was advanced through three events that took place at the COP12: a side event focusing on the strategic role of the Review Mechanism, a partners’ engagement roundtable, and a governmental officials’ gathering.
Side event: Advancing Effective Responses to Transnational Organized Crime - The Strategic Role of the UNTOC Review Mechanism
The side event, which recorded more than 100 attendees, was an opportunity to discuss the progress and strategic role of the Review Mechanism in implementing the UNTOC and an occasion to restate its potential to enable the design and implementation of effective normative and policy responses to all forms of transnational organized crime.
A panel composed of the UNODC Executive Director, the Attorney-General of Uganda, and the Permanent Representatives of the European Union, Italy, and El Salvador to the UN in Vienna discussed the past, present, and future of the Mechanism, and called upon States and stakeholders to continue their timely and constructive engagement in the process.
“Designed by States, for States, the Mechanism provides a tangible way to improve implementation and break down barriers to cooperation,” Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said speaking at the side event. “It ensures that we don’t just talk the talk, but that we deliver on our commitments. The UNTOC Review Mechanism is one of our strongest tools for strengthening international cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime.”
Partners’ engagement roundtable
The a donors’ roundtable meeting, held on the margins of the Conference, offered the opportunity to brief partners on the performance of the Review Mechanism and to renew their commitments and support. In view of the relevant documentation made available by the secretariat, the roundtable enabled participants to have an in-depth briefing on the current progress of the RM and were provided with a platform to discuss financial and substantive matters.
With 37 attendees from 21 States parties, the broad representation of States allowed for discussion and sharing of experiences, as well as nuanced perspectives on how the review process can be further supported and strengthened. The roundtable gathering benefitted from collective support for the functioning of the Mechanism as verbalized through parties’ statements, and from an in-depth financial and budgetary presentation provided by the secretariat.
“Consistent, thorough, and transparent engagement with our donors and partners is of paramount importance” Giovanni Gallo, Chief, Conference Support Section, Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch, UNODC. “Two-way communication and dialogue are key to shared ownership of the process and outcomes – this ensures that the Review Mechanism continues to be the best that it can be.”
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Governmental officials’ gathering
The key drivers of the Review Mechanism are the country Focal Points that coordinate the participation of States parties in peer reviews and governmental experts who have the unique substantive expertise in the areas of organized crime, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants and illicit firearms trafficking. At the COP, nearly 100 country focal points and governmental experts from over 50 countries had the opportunity to interact through a dedicated networking event organized by UNODC, which also offered the space to hear live testimonies and concrete experiences of officials participating in concrete steps of the country review process.
The unique setting allowed representatives of countries at various stages in the review process from different regions to come together, share best practices and experiences, and hear personal perspectives on ongoing country reviews. It not only brought together representatives who may otherwise not have the opportunity to interact but was especially productive for countries who were enthusiastic about sharing best practices and concrete examples on how they overcame challenges in the process – sometimes with creative, outside-the-box solutions.
This COP offered the opportunity to look back on the progress of the mechanism since its launch at the 10th Session of the COP in 2020. To date, more than three-quarters of UNTOC parties are engaged in the Review Mechanism, with 84 country reviews already in progress, representing a 31% increase since COP11. To date, the Mechanism has served over 700 requests for assistance and trained over 3,400 government representatives in more than 140 countries.
The UNTOC Review Mechanism is a peer review process supporting States parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocols thereto in the effective implementation of these instruments and helping them identify and substantiate specific needs for technical assistance and promoting international cooperation.
