Vienna (Austria), 1 March 2021 – During the recent virtual briefing UNODC addressed the main points on its Strategy 2021-2025 to representatives of Civil Society from all around the world.
The meeting was co-moderated by Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director of the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs (DPA) of UNODC and Anna Alvazzi del Frate, Chair, Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The event opened with a video message from the Executive Director of UNODC, Ms. Ghada Waly.
The five-year Strategy is an important document, which will advance the central mission of UNODC – to contribute to global peace and security, human rights and development by making the world safer from drugs, crime, corruption and terrorism – and tailor its support in through the pandemic and beyond.
Bo Mathiasen, Chief, Public Affairs and Policy Support Branch, and Deputy Director of DPA together with Gautam Babbar, Chief, Strategic Planning and Interagency Affairs Unit presented the main directions of the UNODC Strategy to participants of the event.
During the UNODC presentation, it was stressed that civil society partnerships have been and will continue to be critical to the successful work of UNODC. We remain committed to ensuring that civil society participates in and exchange views in intergovernmental and normative processes.
Bo Mathiasen highlighted that UNODC will continue to facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement in the implementation of the various conventions, including through constructive dialogues with civil society, academia, think tanks and the private sector.
UNODC will work to increase the number of regional and national platforms, bringing together government representatives and civil society to jointly develop initiatives to counter corruption and organized crime. Finally, the next five years will see systematic mainstreaming of partnerships with civil society across all UNODC workstreams.
UNODC will share the latest lessons learned and best practices from around the globe, including on the use of new digital technologies in the context of crime prevention and also in criminal justice with a view to increasing responsiveness, accountability and transparency of institutions. It will work in close partnership with relevant government bodies, civil society and affected communities in Member States requesting assistance.
The Strategy presentation concluded with a Q&A session, where many participants were able to address their questions and share opinions.