In 2020, at its tenth session, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime expressed, in its resolution 10/5, "its concern regarding falsified medical products as a continuing global issue with severe multidimensional consequences", urging "States parties that have not yet done so to develop and implement, as appropriate, effective and comprehensive legal frameworks to prevent, prosecute and punish the manufacturing of and trafficking in falsified medical products, consistent with the Convention and taking into consideration the relevant resolutions of the World Health Assembly ".
In the same resolution, the Conference of the Parties also requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, acting within its mandate and in consultation with States parties to provide technical assistance to States parties, upon request, to strengthen their capacity to disrupt and dismantle organized criminal groups involved in all links of the illicit supply chain, in particular manufacturing and trafficking, to make better use of each organization's experience, technical expertise and resources and to create synergies with interested partners.
Given the interconnectedness of the issues related to trafficking in medical products UNODC has developed a holistic strategy of "prevent, detect, punish", which aims to integrate all actors (Governments, law enforcement agencies, media, civil society, private sector, community leaders, women, youth, etc.) involved in this fight and to take into consideration gender and human rights issues.
Moreover, in 2019, thanks to the contribution of France and of numerous experts from all continents and of the Council of Europe, the Economic Community of West African States, the European Union, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, the World Customs Organization and the World Health Organization (WHO), UNODC published a guide to Good Legislative Practices on Combating Falsified Medical Product-Related Crime to support countries in enacting or strengthening domestic legislation in this area and in protecting public health.
