Director-General/Executive Director
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining the launch of the UNODC Strategy Toolkit to Prevent and Combat Organized Crime.
The Toolkit is the latest of UNODC’s efforts to support Member States in making the best use of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
It aims to guide States in formulating effective and comprehensive strategies against organized crime and protecting victims, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has increased risks, deepened vulnerabilities, and diverted resources.
A focus on prevention lies at the heart of the Toolkit, which offers a strategic approach addressing the drivers of recruitment into organized crime, and strengthening the resilience of institutions and economies.
It sets out principles for action, promotes evidence-based decision making, and includes a menu of objectives and tactics that can be tailored to national contexts.
The Toolkit also encourages strong partnerships and cooperation across all sectors of society, in line with the goals of the UN Organized Crime Convention. This inclusive approach was a guiding principle in elaborating the Toolkit, which relied on consultations with national experts, international and regional organizations, academia, civil society, and the private sector.
I am grateful to the United Kingdom for its generous support for this process, and its commitment to international cooperation against organized crime.
Using the Toolkit, UNODC will be stepping up its assistance to countries across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South-Eastern Europe, through our Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention. More than 30 States have already requested our strategy development support.
UNODC looks forward to advancing work with you to build holistic strategies against organized crime, for a safer world.
Thank you.