ANNUAL REPORT

Pretoria (South Africa) — The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Southern Africa has released its 2022 Annual Report, showcasing the results achieved through UNODC's global and regional programs throughout the year. The report offers a brief overview of key events implemented as part of the UNODC's Regional Program “Making the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region Safer from Crime and Drugs”.

Aware of current trends and threats in the region that directly relate to UNODC’s mandate, the UNODC Regional Office in Southern Africa, including through its Programme Office in Mozambique and four project offices in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Malawi, stepped up its efforts in 2022 to support 19 Member States.

UNODC’s action in the region focused on:

- Strengthening Member States’ criminal justice systems and law enforcement agencies to effectively prevent and counter transnational criminal threats, terrorism and violent extremism, money laundering and corruption

- Combating violence against women and girls by launching UNODC’s latest Gender-Based Violence Programme for Southern Africa

- Raising awareness on HIV/AIDS

- Advocating for increased access to evidence and human rights-based services for drug users, including in prisons

- Promoting international cooperation mechanisms by connecting practitioners across the region

The impact of these efforts included engaging 10,262 criminal justice actors, policy makers, law enforcement agents, civil society representatives, and members of academia across 20 projects. UNODC implemented 274 activities across 12 fields of intervention, developed or contributed to 13 publications, policy frameworks, and manuals, and deepened collaboration with over 370 national partners to deliver effective and long-lasting results.

Despite the results achieved throughout the year, much work continues to be needed to address current challenges in the region. In 2023, the Office has continued to assist Member States in the region in their efforts to prevent and combat crime, along with promoting comprehensive criminal justice responses, making the Southern African region safer from crime and drugs.

 

The 2022 Annual Report of UNODC’s Regional Office in Southern Africa is available here: Link