Director-General/Executive Director
Ladies and gentlemen,
Esteemed faculty,
Dear students and guests,
I am truly honored to be with you today in your beautiful city Tokyo here in Japan and to visit this presitigious university for the second time.
I feel privileged to visit this remarkable country at an important moment in history, when the world has so much to learn and to gain from Japan’s rich past, its resilient present, and its promising future.
Through the decades, Japan has emerged as a beacon for multilateralism, and for international efforts to promote peace, security, and the rule of law.
Japan is a historic and strategic partner for my office, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and for the UN at large, and in fact I am here this week for our annual strategic dialogue, to discuss our crucial collaboration supporting the rule of law from Asia to Africa.
Last year, I was here to attend a landmark Ministers of Justice meeting bringing together the Group of Seven developed economies and the ASEAN for the first time ever.
And before that, in 2021, I was in Kyoto for the UN’s most important gathering on crime prevention and criminal justice, which UNODC and Japan organized together, overcoming the challenges of COVID.
The pandemic, which was an eye opener for all of us, underlined the importance of resilience in a world that grows more unpredictable every day, underlined the importance of small things in our lives which we took for granted, exposed the fragility of our world and the wide gap between developed and least developed, and underlined the importance of science and that of resilience at all levels.
And as the global shocks continue, resilience must be our goal.
Resilience of individuals, communities, and countries. Resilience of the international order, of the global family embodied by the United Nations and the shared objectives of its Member States.
Japan’s story is one of remarkable resilience. From the ashes of war and catastrophe, Japan arose as a champion of peace and multilateralism. In the wake of natural disasters, Japan built back better.
And through the hardships of the pandemic, Japan withstood and served as an example in many ways.
Now, as the rule of law is challenged around the world, and the international order is brought to the brink, Japan’s steadying hand and wise voice will be more important than ever, as will its bright young minds.
And in my mind, Japan was reborn into the great nation that it is today because it invested in its people, in human capital, and above all in education.
And Waseda University is a testament to that investment, as one of the leading and oldest universities in Japan, dating back to 1882.
Since then, it has become a centre of academic excellence for many of Japan’s politicians and leaders, including current Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and several prime ministers before him.
It has also shaped important figures of Japanese culture, such as the novelist Haruki Murakami, and founders of leading Japanese companies, including Nintendo, Sony, Toshiba, and Honda.
These giants left their mark on the 20th century and changed the way of life for millions around the globe.
Moreover, we are privileged to have among the leaders of the UN an alumni of this great university, someone who has visited you and lectured here recently, my Collegue Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu Under Seretray-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs since 2017. Ms. Izumi obtained her law degree from Waseda.
So I hope that this will inspire you as you are working to become the next generation of leaders, policymakers, and change-makers for you to leave your mark on the 21st century.
University is an important bridge on this journey.
It teaches you to be open minded, think critically, and learn from others who you might disagree with.
It makes you more informed about the world around you, enabling you to participate in the most important debates of our time, from the climate crisis, to the rise of new technologies, to addressing global poverty and inequality, to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, and so much more.
And I’m pleased we have members of the Oratorical debate society and Model UN with us today, as these are excellent examples of young people coming together to exchange ideas.
Ultimately, university builds the leaders of tomorrow.
And that is why I am here talking to you today, addressing leaders who may change our future.
The rule of law is under threat around the globe. We need gifted minds like yours to be ready, to help build our world’s resilience to the challenges of drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism, and to help make peace. There are obviously other challenges at hand, but I will focus on those in my Office’s mandate.
And they are immense challenges affecting the implementation of all SDGs
Last week, we launched UNODC’s World Drug Report 2024, which showed that around 292 million people use drugs worldwide, whilst 64 million suffer from drug use disorders.
The report also warned of the spread of synthetic drugs that are extremely potent and sometimes deadly, as well as the emergence of highly dangerous new lethal drug cocktails.
And young people continue to be targeted by drug traffickers, enticed by new drugs and ways to consume them.
Yesterday, I flew here from my country Egypt, where I visited a drug treatment and rehabilitation center, and saw firsthand the potential that comes when we empower young people and invest in communities to prevent drug use. Demand for treatment increased 5 fold when they raised awareness using 2,500 volunteers to manage a hotline that responded to calls and advised on treatment.
And to break the cycle of suffering caused by drug use, we must also target the trafficking networks and organized crime groups that are undermining security and the rule of law around the world.
Earlier this year, I travelled to Ecuador, where drug trafficking groups caused a staggering 400% rise in homicide-related killings between 2016 and 2022.
Not far away, in Haiti, gangs have taken over large parts of the country, caused by firearms flowing in from abroad further fueling instability that has long plagued the country and its institutions.
A multinational force supported by the UN was deployed to Haiti last week in the hope of bringing the country back from the brink.
Elsewhere, in the Amazon Basin, drug trafficking is intersecting with crimes that are damaging our environment, including illegal mining, logging, and wildlife trafficking, which undermine our broader efforts to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis.
And violence and criminal activities are spreading in other continents, fueled by organized criminal groups.
In Asia, transnational crime networks are producing and trafficking drugs across the Golden Triangle, while forcing people to work in casinos and illegal gambling centers.
In Europe, drug trafficking is driving up violence around the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, while the conflict in Ukraine heightened the risk of human trafficking as people sought shelter in neighbouring countries.
In Africa, criminal networks and terrorist groups are taking advantage of weakened state institutions to smuggle drugs, fuel, and firearms, to keep the wheels of their operations turning.
Meanwhile, we are seeing how digital technologies have opened the door for criminality to thrive in the online space.
They have opened new marketplaces for drug traffickers to sell and move their product more efficiently while evading the law.
They have opened new possibilities for criminals to conceal their money through illicit transactions and cryptocurrencies that are more difficult to trace and cut off.
And they have opened new avenues for traffickers to recruit and entrap their victims, while terrorist groups poison the minds of disillusioned youth and those disconnected from society.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is opening a new path into unchartered territory.
Algorithms can amplify human bias, perpetuate discrimination, and create echo chambers for misinformation and hateful rhetoric to spread like wildfire.
Manipulated videos can influence voters in elections, undermining trust in public institutions and democratic processes.
Drug traffickers can use artificial intelligence to identify new forms of chemical combinations and create hundreds of new deadly substances.
And criminals can carry out sophisticated scam operations by generating highly realistic voices and images, often impersonating law enforcement officials or even loved ones.
Last month, the UN Security Council held a debate on the threat posed by cybercrime and AI to international peace and security.
During the debate, the UN Secretary-General called for robust safeguards to protect us against the criminal misuse of this technology.
He highlighted the huge risks posed by new tech. But he also underlined the benefits.
Because despite the many threats, there is also enormous potential for AI to benefit our societies.
But we need young people like you to fully harness that potential.
You have the imagination, innovation, and creativity to develop new technological solutions for today’s problems.
The UN Secretary-General’s report on Our Common Agenda has made working with youth one of the UN’s priorities.
He has also opened a dedicated Youth Office and appointed a Special Envoy on Technology.
And at UNODC, we are doing our utmost to engage young people more directly in our work.
UNODC’s mission is to make the world safer from drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism.
We do this by working with governments and communities to detect and understand threats, and to build resilience and capacities.
Our work extends from training police officers and judges, to helping develop laws, to mobilizing members of the community against violent extremism, to raising awareness about the dangers of corruption.
And we see youth like you as an asset to that mission, and as partners, and I would like you to use this opportunity to invite you to visit our website and follow us on social media to learn about our programs and hopefully join us once you graduate as we are keen on recruiting a young and diverse workforce.
To tackle corruption, we believe that youth should be guardians of integrity, so we created the GRACE initiative, which provides educational resources for schools and universities, to teach the importance of ethics and integrity in tackling corruption.
And we run a Coding4Integrity hackathon, where young people come together to develop technical solutions to corruption-related problems, and to discuss the impact of corruption on their countries and how to prevent it.
We’ve already held hackathons in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, which brought together more than 500 young IT developers. And I would be interested in bringing this initiative here to Asia, a region that is taking the lead in technological innovation.
Dear friends,
Japan has long been a supporter of multilateralism and the UN.
As I already mentioned, it was here in Japan, in the city of Kyoto, that we held the 14th UN Crime Congress back in 2021, one of the biggest international gatherings in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.
Japan’s partnership with UNODC helped us convene a highly successful Congress.
And United Nations Member States adopted the “Kyoto Declaration” at the Congress, a commitment by the global family that affirmed the links between the rule of law, criminal justice, and sustainable development.
Now we are approaching the next Crime Congress, which will take place in Abu Dhabi in 2026 and will focus on protecting our planet from criminal exploitation, and on harnessing technology.
And we are striving to make sure that Abu Dhabi follows in the successful footsteps of Kyoto.
We will need young people’s perspectives to help move the agenda forward in line with what is happening in the world.
That is why we launched our new Generation Justice initiative “Gen Just”, which will ensure young people can play an active role in the Congress, so I encourage you all to reach out to our team to learn more about this initiative and how you can be involved.
In just two months, UN Member States will be gathering at the Summit of the Future at the most difficult of times.
The Summit will begin with a youth-led action day, where you and your peers will have the opportunity to tell world leaders your aspirations and expectations for the future.
The Summit aims to turbocharge progress towards achieving the SDGs. And as you all know the SDGs are at great risk due to all the conflict around us.
It will also take a hard look at the international multilateral system, to ensure the UN of today is fit for the future.
Like Japan, the United Nations rose from the ashes of war more than 75 years ago.
Its founding goals were to save succeeding generations from the “scourge of war”, and promote “better standards of life in larger freedom”.
These words from the UN Charter were a promise to future generations and a pledge to leave the world better than we found it. But is it a better world today?
We have never been at greater risk of breaking this promise.
Conflict and suffering are threatening to engulf our world once again, from Gaza to Sudan and the Sahel to Haiti and Ukraine.
And criminal and terrorist groups are feeding on the chaos as corruption spreads and trust erodes.
So much is at stake when world leaders come together at the Summit of the Future.
We need governments to recommit to shared goals of peace and prosperity, and to work together in harmony. And we need more women at the decision-making table to call for peace.
I have heard an inspiring saying in Japanese – fall seven times and get up eight.
Never give up hope no matter the hardships.
This proverb embodies the resilience and diligence of the Japanese people.
We are relying on you, the young people and future leaders of Japan, to share this Japanese wisdom and the Japanese rule of law culture with the world.
Through your actions you can help to overcome the many challenges of today to build a better and safer tomorrow together.
As I conclude, I would like to thank Japan and its people for the kindness, respect, and warm hospitality offered to me during my visit, and to thank you once again for inviting me here today.
