The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) aims to make the world safer from drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism by supporting Member States in promoting justice, upholding the rule of law, and building resilient societies. The UNODC Strategy 2021-2025 emphasizes the integration of human rights across its programs, with a focus on gender equality, the empowerment of women, child protection, and youth involvement. The UNODC works globally to combat crime and uphold human rights, with a particular focus on preventing human rights violations related to crime responses.
Additionally, the UNODC seeks to assist Member States in building their capacity, including through criminal justice reforms as appropriate, to uphold the rule of law and safeguard individuals' legal rights under domestic and international law. The organization undertakes efforts to integrate a human rights-based approach across its programming cycle, ensuring programs align with principles of equality, non-discrimination, participation, inclusion, and accountability. The global efforts of the UNODC aim to ensure access to justice for all and prevent violence, corruption, drugs, terrorism, and crime while promoting health, well-being, and informed decision-making for advancing human rights.
“UNODC promotes a holistic approach in its obligation to respect, protect and promote human rights.”
Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia
In Central Asia Programme for 2022-2025, UNODC integrated human rights and gender-sensitive activities and trainings as essential component throughout the programmatic interventions on integrated border protection, countering illicit drug trafficking, criminal justice reform, police and prison reforms, prevention and countering corruption, trafficking in persons, firearms, prevention and countering terrorism and violent extremism, social rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners and those, returning from conflict zones.
For a more detailed understanding of UNODC's contribution to the protection and promotion of human rights, click UNODC and Human Rights - Our approach