Director General/Executive Director
Mr. President,
Distinguished Members of the Council,
Allow me to begin by thanking the Security Council for its continued attention to the threats to international security posed by terrorism and organized crime.
While their objectives may differ, criminals and terrorists share a need to operate in the shadows, exploiting gaps in criminal justice responses in and between countries and regions.
Terrorist tactics can be employed by organized criminal groups, while terrorists raise funds through criminal activities.
Human trafficking for sexual exploitation, child soldiers and forced labour can be used not only to generate revenue but to strike fear and recruit new fighters.
ISIL has profited a lot from illegal trade in oil, trafficking in cultural property and kidnapping for ransom. In the Sahel and Sahara, smugglers and traffickers paying dues for right-of-passage through areas controlled by terrorists.
We have also seen piracy and organized crime flourish on the high seas, including outside the jurisdiction of any single state and beyond the capacities of many countries to patrol.
Abu Sayyaf kidnaps sea farers in the waters around the Philippines. The Taliban benefit from the drugs trade across the Indian Ocean.
Al Shabaab supports piracy and finances operations from the trade in Somali charcoal through the Gulf of Oman. Al Qaeda resupplies its forces around the Arabian Peninsula by sea.
Furthermore, expanding terrorist and criminal activity online represent a clear transnational challenge to all Member States.
To strengthen responses going forward, I would like to highlight the following priorities:
First, effective implementation of international commitments.
I mean the Conventions on transnational organized crime, corruption and drugs, as well as the global instruments against terrorism and the UN standards and norms on crime prevention and criminal justice.
The Palermo convention in particular, in its three protocols, specifically addresses illicit firearms, human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
These treaties enjoy near-universal acceptance and should be better used to promote coherence between domestic anti-crime and counter-terrorism legislation with relevant regional and international instruments.
Second, much more resources must be channelled to provide technical assistance to build up specialized expertise and capacities.
This includes training for law enforcement, coast guards, border and airport officials, prosecutors, judges, prison officers and other relevant officials.
Third, we need to reinforce investment in mechanisms for inter-agency, regional and international cooperation, including information and intelligence sharing.
The UN clearly has role to play in encouraging and enabling such networked responses.
UNODC's global Networking the Networks initiative is enhancing the efforts of law enforcement bodies to cooperate at local, regional and global levels.
In West Africa alone, we promote the Sahel Judicial Platform, the Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors and the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network.
Similar networks are operational in Central America, West and Central Asia, and in other regions.
UNODC also works with universities and other institutions to advance knowledge about the linkages between organized crime and terrorism under the Education for Justice Initiative.
We are supporting national law enforcement agencies to collaborate on cross-border investigations and to identify and intercept illicit movements of goods through our Container Control Programme and the Airport Communication Programme.
UNODC is also helping to protect the world's busiest shipping routes from exploitation by criminals and terrorists through our Global Maritime Crime Programme.
Fourth and finally, the international community can do more to mainstream integrated action against terrorism and crime across the pillars of the UN's work.
UN-wide coordination is key and UNODC is working closely with partners such as UNOCT and CTED, as well as UNDP, OHCHR and UN Women.
In response to Security Council resolutions UNODC has stepped up efforts to address trafficking in persons in conflict situations.
Among other work, UNODC is helping to identify and protect child trafficking victims recruited by armed extremist groups in Niger, and we are supporting UN Police to strengthen detection and reporting on human trafficking.
Prisons also present another potential link between crime and terrorism, and UNODC promotes good prison management in line with the Nelson Mandela Rules, which can help to deal with high-risk prisoners as well as prevent radicalization and recruitment.
More broadly, combatting corruption and illicit financial flows is critical to strengthening state responses to transnational threats.
Furthermore, as criminals and terrorists exploit new technologies, UNODC is providing specialist law enforcement mentoring and helping to bring offenders to justice through our Global Cybercrime Programme.
Illicit firearms can be used as a source of funding for terrorist and organized criminal groups and to carry out terrorist acts.
UNODC is supporting Member States to tackle firearms trafficking, and we are looking to develop a joint project with UNOCT and CTED to address the terrorism-arms-crime nexus.
Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The connections between terrorism and organized crime are complex and shifting, and more research is needed.
As the Security Council has repeatedly recognized, addressing the linkages between transnational organized crime and terrorism requires the international community to work together to close gaps in criminal justice responses and deny criminals and terrorists any safe haven.
UNODC stands ready, as always, to support you.
Thank you.