Director General/Executive Director
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Firstly, allow me to thank the Government of Turkey for hosting this meeting on "networking the networks".
This new initiative is about leveraging combined strengths, region to region, to effectively counter drug trafficking networks with stronger, more united networks of our own.
Transnational organized crime is the world's largest illicit web, flexible and ready to exploit vulnerabilities and opportunities, anywhere around the globe, in the name of profit.
These crime networks pose a threat to all countries and regions, exploiting advanced technologies to conduct their illegal business, including through complex financial transactions and money-laundering schemes.
A number of regional centres for exchanging intelligence on criminal matters and coordinating operational responses have already been established. These include the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Centre (CARICC), the Gulf Criminal Intelligence Centre (GCIC), the Joint Planning Cell (JPC), the Southeast European Law Enforcement Centre (SELEC), the Asia-Pacific Information and Coordination Center for Combating Drug Crimes (APICC) and more.
These efforts are further supported by regional entities including the OSCE, the CSTO and the SCO, as well as by ASEANAPOL, Europol and Interpol.
However, it has become increasingly evident that counter-narcotics responses must go beyond the immediate country, sub-region or region, with global strategies as well as localized interventions.
Heroin from Afghanistan is trafficked to nearly every market worldwide, and the illicit drug problem represents one of the major challenges we face after the withdrawal of international forces in 2014.
According to UNODC and Afghan estimates, opium poppy cultivation reached a record high in 2013, to some 209,000 hectares, representing a 36 per cent increase over the previous year. Opium production amounted to some 5,500 tonnes, a 49 per cent increase over 2012.
To counter this, we need increased communication, coordination and collaboration, upstream and downstream, along the Northern, Balkan and Southern routes used for shipping drugs and precursors to and from Afghanistan.
This is what "networking the networks" seeks to achieve.
UNODC has developed this initiative in response to the needs and requests of Member States.
Just at the end of November, the UN General Assembly's Third Committee approved a draft resolution on international drug control calling for bilateral, regional and international cooperation, including through intelligence-sharing and cross-border cooperation.
The resolution further emphasizes the importance of encouraging and supporting cooperation between states affected by illicit cultivation and production, manufacture, transit, trafficking, distribution and abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
"Networking the networks" is just one part of the inter-regional drug control approach developed by UNODC to support such requests, and to address the challenges stemming from Afghanistan in the spirit of shared responsibility elaborated under the Paris Pact.
Our three-tier approach integrates country-level, regional and inter-regional initiatives, with a set of interconnected programmes from the Balkans to Southeast Asia.
By connecting UNODC initiatives in West and Central Asia, South-Eastern Europe, the Gulf region and East Africa, we aim to support countries in ensuring more comprehensive coverage and enabling rapid responses as drug traffickers change patterns or exploit alternative means and routes.
On an operational level, we have already seen strong results, including from the MARES maritime initiative to address drug trafficking in the Gulf region under the Triangular Initiative.
The Container Control Programme developed jointly by UNODC and the World Customs Organization is also helping countries to coordinate law enforcement at sea and in ports.
Alongside these efforts, UNODC is helping policymakers and law enforcement agencies to more effectively respond to the threat posed by Afghan heroin with much-needed research and analysis.
The findings of UNODC's strategic report on drug trafficking via the Balkan route, which are being shared with you here, aim to further inform the debate and assist in identifying areas for action.
UNODC estimates suggest that up to 60 to 65 tonnes of heroin flow into South Eastern Europe annually. Turkey alone seized 13.3 tonnes of heroin in 2012, one of the highest totals recorded in the world.
There continue to be large seizures of heroin in countries both upstream and downstream along the route. However, this suggests that more actionable intelligence is needed in the middle of the route, in South Eastern Europe.
The report will be presented to you in greater detail by my colleague Angela Me. Let me just say that such findings make it amply clear that an inter-regional approach like "networking the networks" is urgently needed.
Regional integration processes have helped to lower borders and barriers, bringing people and economies closer together.
In order to keep the criminals from exploiting these beneficial developments, we need to support more criminal intelligence sharing and operational collaboration along the entire length of the Balkan route as well as the Southern and Northern routes, from production to transit and destination.
This meeting today brings together regional and international partners to explore options for collaboration and identify opportunities for action.
Today's criminals have widespread networks and vast resources; if we are to successfully confront them, we must "network our own networks" to ensure greater cross border cooperation, information sharing and tracking of criminal proceeds.
I wish you a productive and fruitful discussion.
Thank you.