On 4 December 2020, UNICRI held the virtual meeting “Supply chain security: illicit trafficking of precious metals”. The meeting was organized by the UNICRI Knowledge Center SIRIO in Geneva.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, responding to the health crisis has been a priority concern worldwide. Its impact, however, has had a much wider range implications with unprecedented effects on the global economy and on a broad range of human, civil and labor rights, as well as rule of law and security-related issues, posing serious questions about what states need to prioritize next and how responses should be tailored to the current situation.
Antonia Marie De Meo, a senior official with more than 25 years of experience with the United Nations (UN) and other organizations in the fields of rule of law and human rights, including criminal justice and crime prevention, gender equality, and child and migrant rights, assumed office this month at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) in Turin, Italy.
Over the last century, organized crime has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to rapidly adapt to mutated social, political and economic conditions. While in some cases this adaptation was the result of a reactive response to improved legislation targeting their interests, in many others it was ignited by the pursuit of new possibilities for economic profit.
From July 8 to 12, 2024, UNICRI conducted its first advanced training course for operative officers on special operations to counter radiological and nuclear (RN) trafficking. Organized within the framework of Phase II of the CONTACT – Black Sea project, the 5-day training session provided six participants from Moldova and Ukraine the opportunity to test and acquire new skills on conducting special operations, with a specific focus on intercepting RN material trafficking.
Concerted efforts are essential for Member States to effectively tackle the growing nexus between organized crime and terrorism, which affects all global regions and has the potential to undermine the rule of law and jeopardize regional stability, security, and development.
