Director General/Executive Director
Mr. President,
Members of the Security Council,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank the Security Council for its continued attention to the threats posed by drug trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime to peace and stability in Guinea-Bissau.
As the Council recognized in resolution 2404 earlier this year, the Government of Guinea-Bissau, ECOWAS, UNIOGBIS, UNODC and other partners are working together to address these urgent challenges.
This includes support to the Transnational Crime Unit (TCU) established under the West Africa Coast Initiative, the Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force under AIRCOP and the Trafficking in Persons Brigade of the Judicial Police.
Since its establishment, the TCU has investigated 70 cases of drug trafficking, with 113 persons prosecuted and 71 kg of cocaine and 1,353 kg of marihuana seized.
Thanks to mentoring under UNODC AIRCOP at Bissau airport, five passengers attempting to smuggle cocaine were arrested over just five days in April.
These are just a few examples of the positive impact that capacity building can have as part of integrated support to strengthen criminal justice responses and promote peace and security.
UNODC has developed a technical assistance package for Guinea Bissau, with clearly identified areas of intervention.
Firstly, we need to do more to build capacities. We must continue supporting the Judicial Police and nationally owned inter-service elite units that have been established and proven to be successful, namely the TCU and Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force.
This support for detection and investigative skills should encompass intelligence gathering and analysis, profiling techniques and sharing of operational information at national, regional and international levels.
Secondly, we need to help counter illicit financial flows.
UNODC is ready to respond to the request received from the Bissau-Guinean Financial Intelligence Unit to provide technical assistance to fight money laundering and prevent and counter illicit financial flows.
Finally, we need to strengthen law enforcement responses to maritime crime. The Bijagos Archipelago of 88 islands further exposes Guinea Bissau to criminal activities due to the difficulties of controlling vast territorial waters.
Excellencies,
Transnational organized crime, coupled with a challenging political and security environment, law enforcement capacity gaps and resource constraints, represents a clear threat to Guinea-Bissau, the region and beyond.
Combatting drug trafficking and dismantling criminal networks clearly requires specialized assistance and it requires funds.
Despite our intense efforts to mobilize resources, funding for UNODC activities in Guinea-Bissau was drastically reduced in 2017.
UNODC struggles to cover the activities that Member States have called upon us to implement in the absence of core funding.
Our Office must rely solely on project funding, even to carry out urgently needed technical assistance.
However, donors remain reluctant to engage in Guinea-Bissau in view of the current political situation.
I would therefore like to take this opportunity to urge the international community to enable UNODC to provide the comprehensive support Guinea-Bissau needs to address drug and crime threats, in line with Security Council resolution 2404, and help re-establish momentum towards progress.
UNODC remains at your disposal.
Thank you.