Education for Justice: Countering cybercrime, creating prosperity
April 12, 2017

Education for Justice: Countering cybercrime, creating prosperity

UNODC began its Global Programme on Cybercrime in 2013, following Resolution 22/8 of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Focussing upon building the capabilities of those in the global South, the work is varied: in some instances, this means developing a legislative framework; in others, the focus is on building the capabilities of law enforcement officers to investigate cyber-dependent offences. 

Law enforcement cannot, however, end cybercrime through arrests and prosecutions. Prevention is truly the key. The Education for Justice (E4J) initiative provides a unique opportunity to address a significant threat in a different way: by educating children and young adults to become conscious of cyber-risk and ultimately to make better decisions.

Celebrating sport as a powerful tool for at-risk youth development
April 6, 2017

Celebrating sport as a powerful tool for at-risk youth development

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace recognizes  the power of sport to drive social development and promote tolerance, respect and social inclusion - areas reflected in UNODC's own work under the Doha Declaration Global Programme.

As the lead United Nations organization  to combat and prevent crime and drug use, UNODC recently launched a unique initiative, making the link between sport, life-skills development and crime prevention. Through building on the wide reach, positive values and popularity among youth that sport has, the organization  uses  this as a vehicle for transferring life-skills to young people that live in crime-prone neighbourhoods.

Promoting the rule of law among youth through Model United Nations
March 29, 2017

Promoting the rule of law among youth through Model United Nations

Each year, hundreds of thousands of young people participate in Model United Nations (MUN) simulations across the globe. Reaching students at all levels, MUNs offer a popular way to learn about the UN - and for the Organization to reach tomorrow's leaders. As part of its Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, UNODC is looking to tap into the power of MUNs to educate students on the concept of the rule of law and how this issue is discussed and dealt with at an international level.

Around this, an Expert Group Meeting was held in Vienna to help further develop a forthcoming UNODC Guide for organizers of MUNs. Bringing together a diverse group of people, the meeting included students who had previously taken part in MUNs and organizers from different parts of the world in order to take into account unique perspectives.

An escape from violence: using sports as a tool for social good
March 28, 2017

An escape from violence: using sports as a tool for social good

Opened in 2011, the Estrutural Olympic and Paralympic Centre offers members of this impoverished and vulnerable community built around a landfill on the outskirts of Brasilia a safe and healthy space. With UNODC's own programme using sports to help prevent youth from becoming involved in crime and drugs now underway, we visited this centre to speak some of the people there and hear their story:

Tatiana, a mother of two who says that sports offers a safe space away from street violence; Ana Julia, 11, who has seen improvements in her health since coming to a sports centre; Guilherme, 13, who goes to the centre almost every day after school and says that his studies have improved; and Romualdo, a teaching and learning manager at the Estrutural Olympic and Paralympic Centre, who says that sport is essential in building citizenship and learning key values in life.

Education for Justice: working with academics and the private sector to teach integrity and ethics
March 23, 2017

Education for Justice: working with academics and the private sector to teach integrity and ethics

In mid-March, Ecuador's Council for Public Participation and Social Control ( Consejo de Participación Ciudadana y Control Social - CPCCS), in collaboration with UNODC, organized a series of anti-corruption capacity-building events in Quito. These included two academic seminars for professors and students as well as a seminar for private sector actors. During all three, UNODC presented the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, emphasizing the forthcoming integrity and ethics university modules. The presentation was designed to introduce E4J and particularly its focus on integrity and ethics education, to encourage the formation of networks of integrity and ethics academics, and to highlight tools and materials that are available to ethics educators. All three seminar presentations were followed by an open discussion.