01 September 2016 - The first coordination meeting for the implementation of CRIMJUST took place in UNODC Headquarter in Vienna.
With the main goal of ensuring a synchronized approach to the initial implementation of CRIMJUST, a preliminary consultation meeting was organized. Coordinators of the EU Cocaine Route Program (CRP) projects (SEACOP, AIRCOP and CORMS), INTERPOL, and UNODC West Africa Regional Officers covering Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria joined the UNODC CRIMJUST team to align and coordinate activities.
During the meeting the focus was on the assessment of organized crime and cocaine trafficking within West Africa. Also, With the purpose of mitigating risks of duplication and avoiding overlapping of work, synergy points and opportunities for inter-project collaboration were identified. This ensures a coherent approach and effective implementation of the project's agenda.
In this context, initial activities and planned actions were systematized. CRIMJUST was recognized as a key element to tackle organized crime and illicit drug trafficking in the post-seizure phase, the project will work closely with the beneficiary countries in a joint effort to meet the needs of the region.
Under the framework of the project CRIMJUST, the UNODC and its partners (INTERPOL and Transparency International) aim to assist Member States to enhance their capacity and integrity of criminal justice institutions to detect, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate illicit cocaine trafficking cases, to foster cooperation at the interregional level for effective action to tackle drug trafficking and related organized crime.
For more information:
- European Union "Cocaine Route Programme"
- INTERPOL
