International cooperation and information exchange

Both the UNTOC and the Firearms Protocol identify as their primary objective to promote, facilitate and strengthen cooperation among States to prevent and address transnational organized crime. Thus, the Global Firearms Programme (GFP) actively promotes international cooperation and information exchange in criminal matters for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting cases of illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms and its links to organized crime.

In this context, GFP supports international cooperation both at judicial and law enforcement level and through formal and informal means.
By doing so, GFP actively promotes the use of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime as a legal basis for international cooperation among States.

GFP further promotes effective information exchange for enhanced international cooperation. The organization supports cooperation platforms to improve direct contacts and information exchanges between authorities responsible for firearms control and the investigation and prosecution of firearms related offences. This increases the opportunities for relevant institutions to directly inter-act, build confidence and establish direct lines of communication and cooperation.

GFP also encourages the transfer of knowledge on methods, tools and technologies in record keeping and on the development of comprehensive registration systems between countries of the same region. This allows for an exchange of expertise and experience with regard to the effective investigation and prosecution of firearms criminality and related forms of organized crime cases, through good practices, lessons learned and capacity building, leading to greater harmonization of practices and procedures.

Community of Practitioners

Digest of organized crime cases

United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime