Series of commitments in Latin America highlight support among judiciary for UNODC’s upcoming Global Judicial Integrity Network
June 28, 2017

Series of commitments in Latin America highlight support among judiciary for UNODC's upcoming Global Judicial Integrity Network

Recent months have seen wide support from among senior judges in Latin America for the forthcoming  Global Judicial Integrity Network . Part of UNODC's  Doha Declaration Global Programme , the Network will assist judiciaries across the globe in strengthening judicial integrity and preventing corruption in the justice sector, in line with Article 11 of the  United Nations Convention against Corruption .  In June, Presidents and Judges of Constitutional Courts of Latin America gathered for their XXIII Annual Meeting in Brasilia, Brazil . Issues discussed included judicial ethics, the role of Constitutional Courts in tackling corruption, human trafficking, and fundamental rights, Constitution and economy.

UNODC and Kyrgyzstan team-up to promote sports for youth crime prevention
June 22, 2017

UNODC and Kyrgyzstan team-up to promote sports for youth crime prevention

In mid-June, UNODC experts met with a range of Government officials and non-state actors in Kyrgyzstan to explore ways to expand cooperation in tackling crime and drug use through using sports. The meetings, held in the capital Bishkek, were an important step towards rolling-out UNODC's global initiative which aims to prevent delinquency among at-risk youth as part of the Doha Declaration Global Programme as well as the Office's 2015-2019 Regional Programme for Central Asia. The initiative focuses on sports to build resilience of youth by enhancing their life skills and increasing their knowledge of the consequences of crime and drug use.

Have you ever wondered how much of your day can be impacted by organized crime?
June 20, 2017

Have you ever wondered how much of your day can be impacted by organized crime?

An often unconsidered reality: organized crime may be impacting our daily lives more than we can imagine. As criminal groups join ever more complex networks spanning the globe, crimes become increasingly transnational and diversified, and the ways they reap profits are becoming more creative as well. So what can we do to help stop this? Education and awareness-raising are of course key and to highlight the importance of this a side event at the United Nations General Assembly was held today in New York as part of UNODC's E4J initiative. Aimed at shedding light on this issue, showcasing the invaluable role of education, and highlighting to the public the type of ways in which they can reduce their exposure to organized crime, the event followed this week's High Level Discussion on Transnational Organized Crime in the General Assembly.

UNODC small grants scheme for sports-focused, youth development CSOs now open
June 20, 2017

UNODC small grants scheme for Brazilian sports-focused, youth development CSOs now open

Under the Doha Declaration Global Programme, UNODC has launched a small grants programme in Brazil to support national Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) active in the field of youth development. Specifically, the organization  is looking to engage CSOs that use sport as a vehicle to work with youth in marginalized  communities who are at-risk of being involved in crime, violence or drug use.  The grants - which will range from US$ 30,000 to US$ 50,000 for a maximum one-year period - will support initiatives that aim to raise awareness on the benefits of sport for the prevention of crime, violence and drugs use among youth through sport  initiatives, community mobilization  and sensitization activities. In doing so, initiatives that seek to empower youth to disseminate anti-crime and violence messages will be encouraged.

Conceptualizing corruption to design effective policies: how education is key to tackling crime
June 19, 2017

Conceptualizing corruption to design effective policies: how education is key to tackling crime

UNODC, the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN) and Sciences-Po Paris held a two-day academic event bringing together over 80 researchers and academics from some 50 countries to look at how to develop effective policies to tackle corruption. Among others, the event aimed to better understand the role of corruption in post-conflict societies, the historical roots of corruption as well as the role of big data to help combat the problem.