Director-General/Executive Director
Mr. President,
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my honour to address this 12th session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
At the offset I would like to congratulate Ambassador Peter Burian of Slovakia for assuming the Presidency of the Conference, and to express gratitude and appreciation to Ambassador Baker Fattah Hussen of Iraq for leading the previous session with wisdom and grace, and I would also like to thank the members of the Bureau.
Excellencies,
The impact of organized crime around the world is more devastating than ever before.
From 2015 to 2021, organized crime caused around 700,000 deaths.
And recent years have seen violence by criminal groups escalate dramatically in developed and developing countries, from heavily armed gangs taking over ports and roads in Haiti, to criminal groups bringing shootings and bombings to the streets of Rotterdam and Antwerp, to criminal violence driving the homicide rate in Ecuador to rise by over 400 per cent in 5 years.
Drug trafficking continues to fuel such violence, with the cocaine market expanding, and synthetic drugs proliferating.
As countries struggle to trace illicit firearms, criminal groups continue to use them to coerce communities and control trafficking routes.
And as the flames of conflict consume parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, the ashes they leave behind act as fuel for organized crime.
We see schools and hospitals being bombed, we see institutions and infrastructure falling apart, and we see public order collapsing.
For organized crime, every community destroyed is fertile soil, every gap created is a route for trafficking, every gun left behind is a tool of power, and every person affected is a potential target for exploitation, affecting generations to come and always it’s the most vulnerable who pay the highest price.
Migrant smugglers are already preying on people fleeing conflict and disaster. UNODC estimates an increase of more than 80 per cent in the number of people smuggled across the sea from Africa to Europe in 2023. 290,000 migrants smuggled across the Mediterranean sea.
According to our latest data, the number of victims of trafficking in persons detected globally is on the rise, as well as the share of children among them. Increasing numbers are being trafficked to work in fraud call centres, a growing form of organized crime.
Criminal groups are also exploiting natural resources, engaging in illegal mining and logging as well as other crimes that are destroying ecosystems and livelihoods.
The illegal wildlife trade alone spans over 4,000 plant and animal species and more than 160 countries.
And as technology races forward, organized crime is finding more efficient ways to exploit and profit.
Digital platforms are being misused to move illicit goods, exploit and abuse women and children, and the elderly with fraud and scams.
And virtual assets are becoming a popular vehicle for illicit financial flows, alongside other tools like precious metals and stones and trade-based money laundering.
None of these threats and developments can be seen in isolation from each other, or in isolation from what is happening in the world around us.
Different forms of organized crime are converging together to form sprawling illicit economies, enabled by gaps in the rule of law.
In the Golden Triangle, organized crime groups have taken over some tri-border areas, using illegal casinos to launder drug proceeds while expanding into online scams and fraud.
In the Amazon Basin, drug trafficking groups encroach on protected land and engage in illegal logging, mining, and poaching to generate and launder profits.
In the Sahel, illicit firearms are sold in open markets where state presence is weak, fuelling conflict and violence, while armed groups tax the use of roads for trafficking of goods and smuggling of migrants.
And the death and destruction in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Sudan, in Ukraine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in other places, will create opportunities for illicit economies to thrive.
Distinguished participants,
The international community has recognized the growing urgency of stepping up the fight against organized crime.
In March, the UN General Assembly designated November 15 as the International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime.
They chose November 15 because it is the anniversary of the adoption of the UNTOC.
And at this COP session, we will launch a month of observance for the first ever international day, starting with a high-level event today, in this very room.
In August, Member States agreed on the text of a UN treaty on cybercrime, a historic step for the fight against organized crime, and an important signal that working against emerging crime threats is something that can bring countries together.
The new text perfectly complements the UNTOC, building on its provisions to expand international cooperation to the digital sphere.
And in September, UN Member States adopted the Pact of the Future, which includes a commitment to scale up efforts against organized crime and illicit financial flows, in pursuit of more effective multilateralism and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The convention now brings together 192 States Parties, and is a universally agreed framework for operational, normative and policy responses.
It is time to maximize the use and impact of the UNTOC and to unite around the Convention at a time of global division.
And this Conference of Parties can and must do that.
As the guardian of the convention, UNODC is working with all of you to advance its implementation, and using it as a basis to strengthen institutions, laws, and capacities.
The UNTOC review mechanism is a key part of that process, helping to improve implementation and identify technical assistance needs.
UNODC is also on the ground, empowering practitioners to disrupt criminal operations and confront new threats.
Our Office helps border units secure ports, airports, land border crossings and railway terminals against trafficking, and we are now supporting 170 border units in 86 countries.
We are also collaborating with partners on law enforcement operations. Last year, our work with Interpol on Operation Turquesa led to over 250 arrests of migrant smugglers from 69 countries, while efforts with Interpol and the European Union led to seizing more than 9,000 firearms and 300,000 rounds of ammunition.
We are striving to help practitioners stay ahead of the curve, by providing training on digital evidence, digital forensics, virtual assets.
We are facilitating judicial cooperation and have recently helped establish a judicial network on cybercrime in Latin America, as well as cross-regional networks of prosecutors specialized in human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
And we are producing legislative guides on topics of growing priority, such as organized fraud and crimes that affect the environment.
Our Office is present at the forefront of the fight against organized crime.
In Haiti, we are helping build border control capacities and strengthen anti-corruption.
In Ecuador, we have recently opened a new office to help the country face escalating criminal violence.
As we continue to work with governments, we also need everyone on board in the fight against organized crime.
Victims bring crucial perspectives, and we will be organizing a Global Forum of Human Trafficking Survivors next year.
Young people are among the most affected, and they have major contributions to make.
We convened a youth consultation prior to the COP that brought together 55 young people from around the world, and they will present their outcomes at this plenary for the very first time this year.
Civil society have vital insights and unique reach, and I’m delighted to see more than 200 NGOs participating in this session.
And the private sector has a role, a power, and a responsibility to disrupt criminal business models and protect supply chains, and States Parties must do more to engage them.
Through whole-of-society approaches we can ensure that our efforts against organized crime are sustainable, effective, and inclusive.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Organized crime is stealing wealth, health, and hope. It is corrupting institutions and societies. And it is killing people every day.
As conflict and instability surge around the world, it will only find more opportunities to do so.
This session of the COP is an opportunity for all of us to pull together, and to rally around the UNTOC, to push back against this threat.
I wish you a successful and productive session.
Thank you.
