7 October 2008 - The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime entered into force on 29 September 2003. The international community welcomed this as a major step forward in the fight against transnational organized crime, one of the major threats to human security.
Together with its three Protocols which target specific areas and forms of organized crime (the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air; and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition), the Convention demonstrates Member States' commitment to foster and enhance international cooperation to tackle these issues.
To date, 147 countries have ratified the Convention, and more continue to recognize the difference it can make in the lives of their people. However, tackling complex problems such as transnational organized crime requires more than ratification. Countries must also ensure that the provisions contained in this international legislation are used properly and efficiently in their domestic legal systems.
To this end, the world is coming together in the fourth Conference of the Parties to the Convention, to be held in Vienna from 8 to 17 October. These conferences, held regularly, give States an opportunity not only to review their progress in implementing the Convention, but also to discuss technical assistance needs to enable the Convention and its Protocols to be effectively implemented.
Other topics to be discussed during the Conference include extradition, mutual legal assistance and confiscation of proceeds of crime, victim and witness protection, money-laundering and trafficking of firearms.
More information about the Conference.
More information about the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.