03-05 May - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, a component of the Global Programme for the implementation of the Doha Declaration, jointly with CRIMJUST Global Programme and the National Commission for Development and Life Without Drugs (DEVIDA) from Peru, organized a workshop in Lima to help countries acquire the necessary capabilities to train their experts in organized crime.
The workshop, catered to national experts, academics and government officials, intended to strengthen participants' capacities and knowledge to train their staff thanks to the university modules on organized crime developed by the UNODC, under the E4J initiative. This was an opportunity for participants to expand their knowledge about drug trafficking and organized crime at a national and international level.
Marco Teixeira, Head of the Global Programme for the implementation of the Doha Declaration Programme highlighted the importance of aligning efforts to consolidate joint initiatives and to increase the understanding of organized crime, its implications, as well as the knowledge of the tools and pedagogical resources produced by the UNODC and made available to teachers and to the institutions of Member States.
Experts from various institutions in Peru, as well as the Anti-drugs Direction (DIRANDRO) of the Peru National Police, the Public Ministry, and the Ministry of Interior offered their insights on the modules as well as conducted brief sessions drawing upon E4J material. These covered a vast spectrum of issues, from the causes, actors and activities of organized crime, to the state and nature of existing markets and of the international cooperation fighting against transnational organized crime.
The workshop aimed to help participants integrate the E4J modules in their educative programs and to foment training on organized crime at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. These modules are the result of a broader effort to develop and adapt material to the Latin American context drawing upon the contribution of numerous experts in the region and worldwide. Throughout this process, the UNODC has benefited from the valuable collaboration of various educational institutions and national organizations, such as the Secretariat for the Fight against Drug Trafficking of the Ministry of Security of Argentina, which sent representatives to attend the event in Lima.
Under the framework of the project CRIMJUST funded by the European Union 'Cocaine Route Programme , the UNODC and its partners (INTERPOL and Transparency International) aim to assist Member States to enhance their capacity and integrity of criminal justice institutions to detect, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate illicit cocaine trafficking cases, to foster cooperation at the interregional level for effective action to tackle drug trafficking and related organized crime.
For more information:
- European Union "Cocaine Route Programme"
- INTERPOL