Archive of UNODC webstories

How to investigate bitcoins: UNODC and OSCE train officers from South Eastern and Eastern Europe and Central Asia

December , Chisinau, Republic of Moldova: UNODC and OSCE trained law enforcement, anti-money laundering and bank supervision agencies how to investigate money laundering with bitcoins, combat banking fraud and disrupt illicit financial flows. 34 officers from South Eastern Europe, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Central Asia got a practical training in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, on December

Banking fraud generates significant illicit financial flows and poses a serious threat to the national economies. In the "Laundromat" case, the National Anticorruption Center of Moldova investigated laundering of more than USD 22 bln.

Bitcoin is the world largest cryptocurrency that enables payments in the internet. Capitalization of bitcoin is more than USD 13 bln. According to the World Drug Report, the 25% of drug users purchased drugs via the Internet. 

UNODC Global Programme against Money Laundering (GPML) and Global Programme on Cybercrime have developed a practical training on investigating money laundering with bitcoins and delivered it in Chisinau.

Participants got a practical experience with the simulated investigation of the serious banking fraud, and real-time tracing of bitcoins with the use of computers and disrupting the illicit financial flows.

The training was organized in cooperation with the OSCE Coordinator of Economic and Environment Activities and the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe. The training was organized with the financial support of USA Department of State, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Government of Norway.

UNODC hosts discussion on impact of organized crime on international security sector governance and reform

14 December , Vienna, Austria: Aiming to enhance international collaboration against transnational organized crime (TOC) in the work on Security Sector Reform (SSR), UNODC - together with the Permanent Mission of the Slovakia to the International Organizations in Vienna - hosted a high-level event in Vienna on this topic. The discussion is a follow-up to the launch of the Integrated Technical Guidance Note (ITGN) on SSR and TOC, which took place during the 25 ^th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice last May in Vienna.

The document is a collaborative work of a wide range of actors from within the United Nations (UN) System, namely the UN Interagency Task Force on SSR which is led by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The guidance note highlights the impact of TOC on security and stability, and presents an approach for including TOC counter measures into SSR processes. The note contains technical measures to counter TOC, in line with the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its three Protocols. Furthermore, the document addresses long term institution building and includes preventative measures in order to strengthen security governance, the rule of law and human rights.

During the discussion, UNODC Deputy Executive Director highlighted the need for his Office to work collaboratively with the international community, in particular with OSCE and the EU, and to join forces in this area to build the capacity and deliver specialized training to security sector practitioners. He stressed that "a joint security development human rights approach is essential, and modern threats cannot be met with traditional responses. Insecurity is rampant vis-a-visglobal crises, and we are facing a global transition which requires joint efforts, courage and decisive actions and measures to protect human rights."

The OSCE and the EU presented their new policy frameworks on SSR. Best national practices were presented both at national and regional levels, such as the Kyrgyzstan Prison Reform Programme and the Sahel Integrated Programme on judicial reforms. Austria, host country of the UN in Vienna, also shared its experience and future perspectives on SSR. The gender perspective and its link to SSR was also addressed.

The Head of the EU Delegation to the UN in Vienna, Didier Lenoir, referred to the importance of SSR in Europe, and highlighted that European countries are directly affected by TOC. "TOC affects democracy, undermines States, and leads to insecurity and instability. National ownership, States' leadership and society engagement are key elements," he said. For his part, the Director of the Office of the OSCE Secretary General, Paul Bekkers, emphasized that the new OSCE guidelines assist in countering TOC and in fostering the rule of law.

Chairing the meeting, the Slovakian Ambassador to the International Organizations in Vienna  called on Member States to establish a Group of Friends on SSR in Vienna, building on an existing group at UN headquarters in New York. Its aim would be to coordinate Vienna actions and implement the UN Security Council Resolution on SSR and promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 16 regarding peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice for all, and accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

International Anti-Corruption Day: recognizing excellence in combatting corruption

(efforts in the region also recognized)

9 December , Vienna, Austria: Marking International Anti-Corruption Day, the inaugural Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence Award was presented today in Vienna to recognize significant global efforts to combat corruption. At a ceremony attended by His Highness, the Emir of the State of Qatar, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Attorney-General of Qatar, Dr. Ali Bin Fetais Al Marri, and the UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, awards were presented in four categories: innovation, research, youth creativity and lifetime achievement.

The Award, established by the  Rule Of Law and Anti-corruption Center (ROLACC), is designed to support UNODC's anti-corruption mandate and highlight the importance of tackling corruption. It also seeks to encourage the implementation of the  United Nations Convention against Corruption as the world's only legally binding international anti-corruption treaty.

Coinciding with this event, a sculpture representing efforts in tackling corruption was also unveiled at the United Nations in Vienna. The structure, donated by Qatar, joins a range of other works situated around the UN grounds which highlight the varied work of the Organization. The sculpture is of a large hand, depicting the urgency of stopping corruption and saying "no" to this crime.

The Award itself is aimed at showcasing creative and outstanding achievements of anti-corruption efforts from across the globe and acts as both a tool to honour those who have shown dedication to tackling corruption and as an inspiration to others to replicate similar efforts. Commenting on this at the opening of the Award ceremony, Dr. Al Marri noted, "This is an important and far reaching initiative, and it requires committed and courageous people who have the determination to fight corruption at all levels. To the Award winners, I hope that this award will inspire and support you, and others, to continue the fight against corruption".

Qatar's efforts to drive crime prevention and the rule of law was evidenced through the support given to the Doha Declaration adopted at the 13 ^th Crime Congress last year and translated into a wide-ranging Global Programme which is being undertaken through to

Highlighting the ever-pressing need to work towards tackling corruption, and offering his congratulations to the recipients whose efforts reflect this, Mr. Ban said: "As a strangling root that reaches deep into all our societies, corruption chokes hopes and frustrates opportunities. It enables the few to prosper at the expense of millions who are left behind. Through their courage, today's award recipients are delivering a clear message that corruption is incompatible with fair and ethical societies".

Pointing to the actions taken by the Award recipients, as well as people from all walks of life, Mr. Fedotov spoke on the importance of inclusive efforts to tackle corruption: "Together, the public and private sectors, international and regional organizations, financial institutions and civil society, must stand united against corruption in all its forms". He also referenced the new, multi-year International Anti-Corruption Day theme officially launched today - #UnitedAgainstCorruption - and spoke of the centrality of the Agenda for Sustainable Development. "The Agenda has given fresh impetus to the battle against corruption by recognizing that anti-corruption action is essential to end poverty; ensure quality education, promote decent work and economic growth; and protect natural resources".

The Award winners are:

• The Anti-Corruption Lifetime Achievement Award (recognizing noteworthy and outstanding contributions made to support the global fight against corruption). Presented to Thelma Aldana (Attorney General of Guatemala);
• The Anti-Corruption Academic Research Award (looking at academic research in the area of anti-corruption). Shared by Miodrag Labovic (Professor of Law at the Faculty of Security at Skopje, and founder of the NGO Mission Center for Anti-Corruption and Justice); and Groupe De Recherche Corruption & Démocratie (CORDÉ) (a joint research network between the University of Montreal, the University of Toronto, the Sorbonne University, the Catholic University of Lille and the Catholic University of Central Africa).
• The  Anti-Corruption Youth Creativity Award (focussing on projects designed and led by young people and, where applicable, supported by civil society organizations). Shared by Anti-Corruption Youth Greece (a movement 'by young Greek people for young Greek people' which is currently looking to tackle corruption in sports and migration-related corruption in the Mediterranean region); and TM Music (a Tanzanian NGO, composed of young singers, that use the power of song to raise awareness and drive home an anti-corruption message); and
• The  Anti-Corruption Innovation Award (offering recognition and appreciation to innovative approaches and prominent contributions to the prevention of and fight against corruption). Shared by ARTLORDS (an Afghan grassroots movement of artists who use street art in the form of mural paintings to raise awareness against corruption); and Hanan Khandagji (a Palestinian investigative journalist, who worked undercover to investigate the abuse of children with disabilities in private facilities, which led to significant reforms and prosecution of corruption cases).

For more information please see the article on the main UNODC webpage.

Experts discuss challenges related to Small Arms and Light Weapons in South Eastern Europe

December , Budva, Montenegro: UNODC has taken part in the 6th meeting of National Commissions on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) of the members of the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC). The approximately 40 meeting participants included representatives of the targeted jurisdictions (National Commissions on SALW, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Security, Ministry of Internal Affairs), the Flemish Peace Institute, the University of Bradford, as well as international and regional experts.

The objective of the event was to facilitate the regional information exchange process bringing together representatives of SALW Commissions from the region.

One of the key points discussed during the meeting was the importance of data collection on seized and trafficked firearms as basis to identify and develop approaches to address illicit trafficking routes. The UNODC Global Firearms Programme was invited by SEESAC to attend the meeting and present UNODC's data collection efforts in this regard, including the UNODC Study on Firearms and the ongoing review of the data collection methodology taking into account target of the Agenda for Sustainable Development. The presentation was positively perceived and generated a lot of interest, with some of the countries enquiring about a possibility for UNODC to present the study and explain the importance of data collection on firearms at national level.

The participants agreed that the next meeting of National Commissions should particularly address the topics of data collection in relation to arms trafficking and armed violence as well as legislative review and harmonization processes in the region.

For more information please refer to the UNODC Study on Firearms: conwaytransport.com.au

The UNODC - Lions Quest "Skills for Adolescence" programme starts working in Bosnia and Herzegovina

December , Sarajevo, Bosna and Herzegovina: UNODC in partnership with the Lions Club International Foundation commenced the programme Lions Quest "Skills for Adolescence" in South East Europe in starting from Serbia and gradually expanding to Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in Following the successful implementation in these countries, further expansion of the programme became possible for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina starting as of

The inception meeting of the Lions Quest "Skills for Adolescence" programme was arranged together with the Ministry of the Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the representatives of relevant institutions from the Republic of Srpska and Federation to discuss the programme implementation and the next steps. Representatives from the Ministry of Education from Republic of Srpska and Federation as well as the CSO representatives attended the meeting, along with the national Lions Club members. The meeting was facilitated by the LCIF global programme coordinator and UNODC.

Among the topics discussed in the meeting were: the presentation of the LQ Skills for adolescence programme; presentation of evidence based drug use prevention interventions and programmes, as well as the International Standards on drug use prevention; programme implementation based on reliable data; evaluation of LQ programme in South Eastern European region and the results from the three countries where it has worked already; as well as the presentation of specific topics covered by the programme.

The programme will start its active phase in Bosnia and Herzegovina as of early

Coordination efforts are ongoing to streamline assistance in South Eastern Europe under the EU umbrella

30 November , Vienna, Austria: The first informal meeting of the implementing partners of the Initiative Support to the Western Balkan Integrative Internal Security Governance (IISG) was hosted by UNODC in Vienna. The meeting was chaired by the EU DG NEAR and attended by the representatives of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the Secretariat of the Police Cooperation Convention for South Eastern Europe (PCC SEE), the representatives of the Governments of Slovenia, Germany, Italy, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and other partners, including heads of IPA projects operating the region, among them the UNODC project on measuring and assessing organized crime.

The parameters of the future work were discussed in the course of the informal meeting, including the need for close coordination and non-duplication of efforts. The IISG will attentively consider the lessons learned of the previous donor coordination mechanisms in the Balkans and to set up sufficient promotion and monitoring strategy in the course of

Practical work under the new initiative on measuring and assessing organized crime in the Western Balkans begins

December , Vienna, Austria: The First Advisory Committee Meeting of the UNODC initiative "Measuring and assessing organized crime in the Western Balkans: supporting evidence based policy making" has taken place in the UNODC HQ in Vienna.

The event was opened by the representative of the EU DG NEAR - the donor of the project - as well as the UNODC representatives. The opening session proceeded with the presentation of the project and its foreseen goals, objectives and actions.

Furthermore, the roles of the Advisory Committee and the National Technical Groups were reviewed and agreed upon. The mechanisms and modalities of the data collection under the project were discussed during the second day of the meeting, along with the foreseen way forward in the next 12 months.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the strengthening of the rule of law through the fight against organised crime in the beneficiary countries and territories. This Project will help address the aforementioned challenges with respect to enhancing the understanding of the nature and evolution of organised crime.

The specific objectiveof the Project is to develop and implement a statistical framework for quantifying and analyzing organised crime in the Western Balkans, to establish mechanisms to monitor it and to produce an evidence-based analytical report on OC in the Western Balkans.

The foreseen results of the project include:

1) Definition and implementation of a statistical framework for measuring organised crime in the Western Balkans;

2) Creation of a regional data repository to collect, store and disseminate data and indicators on organized crime;

3) Targeted qualitative surveys on selected topics relevant to organised crime;

4) Targeted technical assistance to beneficiaries to improve data collection;

5) A final regional report on organised crime in the Western Balkans.

The project represents an important next activity undertaken with the EU DG NEAR in the region.

UNODC briefs Slovenian students on the anti-terrorism work of the UN

November , Ljubljana, Slovenia: A UNODC expert gave a presentation to law students of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana on the role of the UN and UNODC, in particular in the international terrorism prevention efforts. He then discussed the international legal framework dealing with terrorism, foreign terrorism fighters and the illicit trade of cultural artefacts. The presentation was well received and was followed by a discussion on some of the issues arising from it. The UNODC expert then held a meeting with the University to discuss possibilities to develop a proposal to build an annotated database of foreign terrorism fighters cases.

On the occasion of the visit to the capital of Slovenia, the UNODC representative also met with the Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PPC SEE) Secretariat and discussed the EU-backed Western Balkans Counter-Terrorism Initiative (WBCTi) and the possibility for further cooperation between UNODC and PPC SEE. 

Governing body of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe approves the results of work in and endorses the workplan for

25 November , Vienna, Austria: The 8 ^th meeting of the Steering Committee of the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe has met in Vienna and gathered around the table the members of the Steering Committee, Ambassadors and senior representatives of the countries of the region, donor and partner countries, partner organizations, UN Resident Coordinators from the region and other counterparts, as well as experts and senior managers of UNODC, including its Executive Director.

In his opening remarks, the UNODC Executive Director pointed out that the Regional Programme is an central instrument for the UNODC's work and priorities in this strategically important region. He also stated that the Regional Programme is bearing promising results already in its first year, after its launch on 26 November

The Chief of the UNODC Regional Section for Europe, West and Central Asia, and Regional Representative for South Eastern Europe, outlined the context and policy setting for the Regional Programme, including with regard to the UNODC consultations with the EU Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiation.

The UNODC Programme offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia made video presentations of the work done in the region in and illustrated the achieved results. The detailed matrix with the outcomes of work in the current year was also provided to the participants. The coordinator of the Regional Programme presented the workplan for the upcoming year which was unanimously endorsed.

In their statements, the Ambassadors and senior representatives from the region have expressed their appreciation of and support to the UNODC work in South Eastern Europe and underlined the usefulness of the Regional Programme for the EU accession perspective in the region, as well as its complementarity to the work by other partners, efficiency and effectiveness.

The Head of the Permanent Mission of Albania to the United Nations in Vienna noted in particular that the Programme provided effective responses in the context of the EU integrated agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, and called for increased attention to the challenges related to cannabis cultivation in Albania. This call will be responded to already in January The Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations in Vienna pointed out that the Regional Programme and the Programme Office in Sarajevo, acting as the regional center of expertise in the area of anti-money laundering / counter-financing of terrorism, meets the priorities of the country. The Permanent Representative of Montenegro welcomed the target and multi-faceted approach of UNODC in the region and in the country. The Permanent Representative of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia underscored the direct connection with and complementarity to the chapters 23 and 24 of the EU acquis. The Permanent Representative of Serbia noted the positive impact of the Regional Programme in the country and stressed that his Government was satisfied with the quality of its deliverables.

All countries of the region, as well as the UN Resident Coordinators have addressed the donor community with a call for expanded support to the Regional Programme.

The Ambassador of the European Union stated that the EU is pleased to work together and confirmed the future plans for larger cooperation. The Ambassador of Turkey pledged the support of her country to the UNODC work in the region. The representatives of Austria, Romania and the Russian Federation welcomed strengthened cooperation. Statements were also delivered by the officials from the OSCE, UNMIK, Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC), Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, the Head of the Secretariat of the Police Cooperation Convention for South Eastern Europe, and other colleagues.

In his closing remarks, Deputy Executive Director of UNODC, Director of the Division for Operations has pointed out that the Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe is an integral part of the 'One UNODC Concerted Approach to Europe, West and Central Asia', and contributes to its success, especially when it comes to the practical cooperation in the field of anti-money laundering / counter-terrorism financing and the building of networks to address the topic of the illicit financial flows. He also stressed that this approach is fully in line with the UN General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem and the Goals of the Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Video materials presenting some of the results of work in the region in are available under the below links:

UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme: conwaytransport.com.au?v=OYlHGPg1flk

Anti-Money Laundering / Counter-Financing of Terrorism: conwaytransport.com.au?v=UgVDE-2VLCc

Prevention of Drug Use / Skills for Adolescence Programme:   conwaytransport.com.au?v=oXgRZy-SM-s

Anti-Corruption Academic Initiative gathers professors from South Eastern Europe

November , Tirana, Albania:  The Anti-Corruption Academic Initiative (ACAD) workshop was organized by UNODC to provide an opportunity for academics from South Eastern European (SEE) to exchange good practices and discuss challenges related to anti-corruption research and education, recommend ways to enhance their capacity to deliver high-quality anti-corruption education in their respective institutions, and consider approaches to strengthen the SEE Regional ACAD Network.

The workshop gathered over 30 academics and took place in the University of Tirana, Faculty of Law. It offered an opportunity for academics to discuss their approaches to teaching and research as well as substantive issues of interest in the field of anti-corruption. It also offered an opportunity to hear presentations on practical anti-corruption clinical legal education from the students' perspective. There were several participants from outside the region (from Ukraine and Malaysia) who attended in order to learn about good teaching practices and ways to promote the ACAD initiative in other countries and regions.

At the outset of the workshop, the UNODC officer gave a short overview of the ACAD initiative and took the opportunity to inform participants of the new E4J initiative. Participants then discussed recommendations that emanated from previous ACAD meetings, highlighting those which required further attention such as the need to diversify the teaching methods and enhance the inter-disciplinarily of anti-corruption education, teach about the links between anti-corruption and other areas of global concern, and promote the community outreach component of anti-corruption education.

Participants also discussed good practices in teaching anti-corruption, giving examples from their own universities. In this context, participants spoke about the interdisciplinary MA program on corruption studies in Sussex University, which involves courses, conferences, internships and study trips. It was noted that some of the activities were enabled by funds raised from the private sector. The model UN simulation in Ljubljana was also discussed. This activity revolved around the implementation of UNCAC.

Another discussion addressed anti-corruption legal clinics, such as those in Tirana and Belgrade, as a framework for engaging students in anti-corruption education. The clinic in Tirana involves moot courts, collaborative projects with Washington and Lee Law School in the US, and other aspects. The clinic in Belgrade conducts activities to raise awareness within the community about anti-corruption. A session was dedicated to presentations by students who participated in anti-corruption clinics, demonstrating the effectiveness of anti-corruption clinical legal education.  

Another session focused on ways to strengthen the SEE regional ACAD Network. Participants proposed that the regional network could be strengthened through creating national chapters/focal points that will ensure that at least one university in the state offers an anti-corruption course, that an awareness raising event is held annually, and that research is published. The national chapters/focal points would ideally be coordinated by a regional secretariat. It was also proposed that regional summer schools would be held annually to promote exchange between students and teachers from the region on anti-corruption issues. A participant affiliated with the Academy of Transparency and Human Rights of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) in Athens, Greece, proposed that the Academy of Transparency and Human Rights would serve as secretariat for the SEE Regional ACAD Network.

Participants also discussed current trends in corruption, and the importance of teaching about them. One of the trends discussed was the growing recognition that transnational economic crimes, including corruption, are serious international crimes and therefore should not be subject to statutes of limitation. Another trend discussed was the systemic and institutional nature of corruption and organized crimes. In light of its complexity, graduate courses should be developed to study this phenomenon and consider possible responses. Another trend discussed was election-related corruption. It was suggested that election law classes should include modules on corruption, and that students should be encouraged to intern with election monitoring bodies as a way of learning about election-related corruption.

Participants also discussed challenges and opportunities in teaching anti-corruption. One of the issues discussed was the need to incorporate a gender dimension to anti-corruption education and research. Another one - the need to teach anti-corruption from an interdisciplinary perspective. There is also a need to merge theory and practice in anti-corruption education. It was suggested to use the existing "SEE law school networks" as a platform for collaboration in introducing anticorruption clinics, curriculum development, and exchange of teachers.  Cooperation with legal training centers could also be helpful.

Finally, participants discussed the need for integrity and ethics education in their different institutions as an approach to prevent and fight corruption and unethical practices in public administration. The discussion revealed that in many law schools in the Balkans there were no mandatory legal ethics courses. Instead, ethics is taught under other courses (legal philosophy, legal sociology) and in judges/prosecutors trainings. Participants stressed that ethical codes are not applied in practice by judges and prosecutors in the region. Possible approaches to ethics education were also discussed. It was recommended to use real cases with students, involve university students in teaching integrity to school students, agree on integrity standards between teachers and students, create a tradition of peer to peer consultations on ethical issues among alumni. It was also proposed that university professors act as mentors to students after they graduate and thus maintain the bond between graduates and the university, and encourage solidary among persons of integrity.

The workshop was facilitated by UNODC with funding from the Rule of Law and Corruption Centre (ROLACC) in Doha. Additional funding and logistical support was provided by Washington and Lee University School of Law, the University of Tirana School of Law, and the Embassy of the United States in Albania.  

For more information please refer to conwaytransport.com.au?index=39

TREATNET Volume D training on management of drug dependence treatment services conveyed for the health care professionals from South Eastern Europe

November , Belgrade, Serbia: TREATNET is the UNODC educational package on comprehensive drug dependence treatment and includes four volumes representing crucial segments of multidisciplinary approach to treatment:

• Volume A: screening, assessment and treatment planning;
• Volume B: elements of psychosocial treatment;
• Volume C: addiction medication and special population;
• Volume D: management of drug dependence treatment services.

Since , UNODC has been assisting the national professionals in the region of South East Europe to expand the knowledge on comprehensive drug dependence treatment through series of regional training where the first three Volumes of the educational package were primarily addressed. As a result of the initiative, in the period of 5 years, more than 1, professionals were educated on particular topics hence strengthening the national health systems in the respective countries.

Additionally, in the effort to enrich the professional knowledge and to provide the essential managerial skills for the governance of drug dependence treatment services, UNODC with recently finalized Volume D material on management of drug dependence treatment provided further education for the experts. The material addressed the topics of importance for the clinical managers such as: setting direction and planning, operational management and governance and evaluation.

In this regard, a four-day long Regional TREATNET training of trainers (ToT) on Volume D was organized in Belgrade with the active participation of more than 15 professionals from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia.

Following the successful finalization of the Regional ToT course, it is expected that the trainees will proceed with the local cascade trainings in their institutions and local communities, as well as make use of the acquired knowledge to strengthen their primary work as clinical managers.

First Expert Consultation on the Smuggling of Migrants in South Eastern Europe: focus on joint investigations and illicit financial flows 

November , Belgrade, Serbia: As a first in a series of Regional Expert Group Meetings on the Smuggling of Migrants with a focus on the South Eastern Europe, UNODC conducted a regional expert consultation in Belgrade on November on joint criminal investigations and prosecutions and disruption of illicit financial flows deriving from the smuggling of migrants. The regional expert meeting, which was made possible with generous funding and support from France, provided an opportunity among experts to exchange and discuss recent trends and modus operandi concerning the smuggling of migrants through the so-called Eastern Mediterranean route.   

Mr. Mitar Djuraskovic, Head of Department in the Ministry of Interior of Serbia, H.E. Ms. Christine Moro, Ambassador of France in Serbia and Ms. Irina Vojackova Sollorano, UN Resident Coordinator for Serbia, in their opening speeches reminded participants of the recently adopted New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, stressed the challenges related to the Western Balkans migration route in its political and security dimensions, and emphasized the crucial role cooperation among practitioners plays in addressing these dimensions.

After a review of the trends and patterns of the smuggling of migrants through the Western Balkans route by regional and international organizations and the academia, experts exchanged around concrete cases of cooperation in investigation and prosecution of smuggling presented by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.

Given the centrality of the principle "follow the money" for effectively combating the smuggling of migrants as form of organized crime, a session was dedicated to financial investigations and anti-money laundering of the proceeds of the smuggling of migrants crime. After the sharing of perspective from international organizations, the private sector and civil society, experts continued discussing concrete cases analysis from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia.

The regional expert meeting was highly valued by it participants as useful and practical, and it was agreed by the expert practitioners to meet again in , with the support of UNODC, to further exchange experiences from their practice, and to network with the aim to improve direct communication and cooperation, in particular in the area of disrupting illicit financial flows deriving from the smuggling of migrants in South Eastern Europe.

UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons supports Serbian NGO ATINA in helping victims of human trafficking

November , Belgrade, Serbia: UNODC has visited the NGO ATINA, an NGO currently funded via the second call of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the performance of the NGO under the Trust Fund obligations in light of reviewing a possible extension of the grant for this NGO within the Grants Facility of the Trust Fund. The on-site visit provided an opportunity to meet with key project staff and assess the project implementation (by visiting multiple facilities, i.e. the reception centre and bagel shop which is operated by project beneficiaries as part of the reintegration program). The NGO shared achievements, challenges, and lessons learned under the project funded by the Trust Fund aimed towards assisting project beneficiaries (survivors of sexual and labour exploitation).

The bagel shop which is run by survivors that are furthest along in their personal rehabilitation and reintegration into the community. The NGO management provided UNODC with a thorough overview of the organizations work. The NGO also provided an opportunity to meet with project beneficiaries and observe the project activity as the beneficiaries were in the middle of an art therapy session.

Established in , the NGO has been implementing various projects aimed at assisting victims of human trafficking within the context of being the only service provider able to house victims of trafficking in persons. The beneficiaries are identified through the NGO's hotline, and referred to the NGO by several government agencies.

ATINA is ensuring that women, children and men who have been exploited by human traffickers

are identified, treated humanely as victims of crime, and provided with the assistance, protection and support. ATINA is the only NGO in Serbia fully equipped to provide fully comprehensive services to victims of human trafficking.

Over the past year, 84 beneficiaries were included in the development of individual reintegration plans which are monitored on a regular basis; legal aid was provided to 42 beneficiaries; 22 beneficiaries in need were accommodated in the transition house and provided with food and other supplies; 6 beneficiaries were referred to medical institutions for secondary medical treatment; 37 beneficiaries were provided with additional psychological support; 20 primary beneficiaries were provided with family mediation and counselling; 44 beneficiaries completed practice and training programmes, and 16 more are expected to complete them; 90 informal gathering and workshops were organized during project implementation

The UNODC mission concluded that the NGO is providing high quality services for the beneficiaries.

Regional Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) Presented in Belgrade

14 November , Belgrade, Serbia: The "Regional SOCTA - Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro" was launched with the presence of Ministers of Interior of all three countries as well as the Ambassadors of Switzerland and the OSCE Mission to Serbia, highlighting the importance of this document. Both the national SOCTAs and the regional one are an important step towards the intelligence led policing and fight against organized crime on the strategic level and addresses the EU's pre-accession requirements.

In their key notes all three Ministers of Interior stressed the importance of joint action on operational and strategic levels as well as the need to be a 'step ahead' of the Organized Crime Groups in terms of modus operandi, technology and cooperation. The Regional SOCTA document is a follow-up on the national SOCTAs and it was made by the expert teams of the Ministries of Interior of Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with the support and professional assistance of Europol experts and in line with the Europol methodology. The Europol provided the training on strategic analysis and drafting of SOCTA as well as on using tools for handling large data.

In a nutshell, the production and smuggling of drugs in Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are the most dominant and the most profitable types of organized crime, in which the largest number of OCGs are involved. The OCGs are said to be poly-criminal and the same routes are used for trafficking of various types of goods. According to this SOCTA, the heroin trafficking through the Central Balkan route to Western Europe is on the decline and the production of synthetic drugs and precursors in clandestine laboratories is on the rise.

The UNODC expert contributed to the discussion and raised questions about the availability of data and the impact of this exercise for the future. The data that was used for drafting the national and the regional SOCTAs comes from internal sources, i.e. from the national institutions, and from external ones, such as from Europol, SELEC, UNODC, NGOs and academia, and it is expected that this exercise has raised the awareness about the importance of data availability and collection. The OSCE Mission to Serbia, which is implementing this project with the support of the Swiss Government, will seek ways to expand it regionally.

Presentation of the UNODC work in South Eastern Europe to the UN member states in Vienna

11 November , Vienna, Austria: In accordance with the UNODC rules and regulations, the UNODC work in South Eastern Europe was presented to the Standing open-ended intergovernmental working group on improving the governance and financial situation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (FinGov) in accordance with the regular workplan of the Group.

The UNODC team has in particular presented:

-          the fostered cooperation with the regional organizations, including SELEC, RACVIAC, Police Cooperation Convention, and others;

-          the inter-regional nature of activities;

-          the cooperation with Turkey and Hungary;

-          the launch of the new research initiative on Measuring and Assessing Organized Crime with the financial support of the EU;

-          the start of the counter-wild-life / forest crime work in the region;

-          the impressive results of the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme;

-          the outcomes of the work of the UNODC anti-human trafficking and smuggling of migrants programmes

-          the anti-money laundering / counter-financing of terrorism work;

-          the anti-corruption efforts undertaken in the region;

-          the work on countering and preventing the phenomenon of the foreign terrorism fighters;

-          as well as the active and impressive efforts of the UNODC drug demand reduction global programmes, including the Strengthening Family Programme and the UNODC - Lions Quest Skills For Adolescence Programme;

-          and the coordination and evaluation of the work of UNODC in South Eastern Europe.

The report was well received and welcomed by the FinGov.

UNODC participates in the Cooperation Networks in the Area of Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Violent Extremism under the Auspices of the EU Western Balkan CT Initiative Regional Coordination Conference

November , Tirana, Albania: Regional and international organisations and representatives of governments from South East Europe (SEE) gathered to discuss and coordinate regional and national activities on counter-terrorism, foreign terrorism fighters and counter-violent extremism in a conference which was organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and hosted by the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Tirana. The conference was one of the activities which are part of the EU-backed Western Balkans Counter-Terrorism Initiative (WBCTI). It was attended by national focal points, Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE) members, coordination team members and representatives of international organisations. The participants agreed to, as of this year, organise annual conferences on regional coordination in the similar format in order to take stock of progress made thus far and suggest ways on how the joint efforts could be better coordinated and more efficient.

The objectives of the Conference were to:

-          Raise awareness about CT, PVE and WBCTI activities;

-          Be a platform for exchange of information, views and good practices among all principal stakeholders active in counterterrorism, and the prevention and countering of P-CVE in SEE;

-          Promote coordination among the members of the WBCTI.

The Conference was opened by senior representatives of the Government of Albania. This was followed by an update session provided by representatives of regional and international organizations about their activities in the region. The UNODC representative briefed the event on the FTF Training Module Project in SEE and the Global Project on Strengthening the Legal Regime Against FTF which includes the SEE region. A plan of activities for both projects was

shared with the participants. Separate meetings with specialized regional formats also took place during the conference.

UNODC will continue to explore opportunities for joint activities with the members of the WBCTI and participate in relevant events.

UNODC takes part in the OSCE-led regional round table new psychoactive substances

November ,Bucharest, Romania: UNODC took part in the regional round table on "Law Enforcement Co-operation in Combating New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in Eastern Europe, Joint Investigations and Advantages of a Common Data Collection System". Theround table is the fourth meeting organized by the Strategic Police Matters Unit of the Transnational Threats Department of OSCE dealing with the challenges of NPS faced by European member states. UNODC was represented in all of these meetings, being represented by the Laboratory and Scientific Section. Other participants of the event included INCB, INTERPOL, EMCDDA, WCO and SELEC, as well as law enforcement representatives from Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.

During the meeting, the UNODC representative gave two presentations, on the latest trends in the emergence of NPS and the international response to this emergence, including information on scheduling and a detailed presentation of the contents of the UNODC Early Warning Advisory on NPS. The second presentation covered the range of UNODC Scientific and Forensic services and products available to Member States.

UNODC contributed to the RACVIAC event on cyber security in South Eastern Europe

October , Rakitje, Croatia: UNODC took part in the "Building a Cyber Resilient Society in South-Eastern Europe - Advanced Training Course" organized by the Centre for Security Cooperation for South Eastern Europe (RACVIAC). The event was attended by some 50 participants and aimed to provide military and civilian personnel from RACVIAC Members with high-level knowledge, skills and experience required for describing and evaluating the risks and threats of cyber space, improving cyber defence measures and providing advice to decision makers.

The Advanced Training Course was opened with welcoming remarks from the Director of RACVIAC and consisted of presentations delivered by the invited experts and discussions. A number of specialized core topics, mainly on the cyber security, cyber threats and cyber warfare, were tackled during the course.

The Course was supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme and the Federal Republic of Germany.

UNODC provided a presentation on the misusing cyber space for inciting terrorism and violent extremism and contributed to discussions.

UNODC Supports Implementation of the Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytical Toolkit in Bosnia and Herzegovina

October , Bosnia and Herzegovina: Assessment Mission aiming to facilitate implementation of the Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been conducted during the second half of October.

On the basis of joint efforts with the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina to fight against specific forms of organised crime, the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe and the Global Programme on Wildlife and Forest Related Crime facilitated assessment mission conducted by the UNODC law enforcement expert.

The Toolkit is a technical resource that assists States to conduct a comprehensive analysis of preventive and criminal justice responses related to wildlife and forest crimes and helps to evaluate the matters relevant to wildlife and forest crime: legislation, law enforcement measures, prosecutorial and judicial capacities, factors that drive wildlife and forest offences and the effectiveness of preventive interventions, and the availability, collection, and examination of data and other information relevant to wildlife and forest crime.

Assessment mission was carried out through a series of meeting in Sarajevo and Banja Luka with relevant national institutions, law enforcement agencies and other actors with jurisdiction in the field of organized crime and/or protection of nature, endangered flora and fauna, forest related crime and similar. UNODC officials also met with representatives of the international organizations, civil society representatives (CSOs) and bilateral embassies supporting the work of the UNODC programmes. Furthermore, the assessment included visits to the Nature Park "Hutovo Blato" and Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) Bijača and Gradiška.

The assessment mission will result with a comprehensive report by the UNODC's expert to be presented to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Based on the results of the analysis, UNODC and relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina can identify key areas for improvement in the national response to wildlife crime. Further, the results help to design specific work plans for national capacity-building and technical assistance.

The Toolkit is available to all Governments that want to complete an assessment of wildlife and forest crime. Bosnia and Herzegovina is the first country in Europe that have conducted assessment of the Toolkit implementation.

Background information

The General Assembly affirmed the relevance of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) to fighting illicit trafficking in natural resources in its resolution 55/25 of 15 November , in which it stated that the Convention "constitutes an effective tool and the necessary legal framework for international cooperation in combating such criminal activities as illicit trafficking of protected species of wild fauna and flora, in furtherance of the principles of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora". In this connection, UNODC has an important role to play in terms of strengthening the capacity of Governments to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate crimes against protected species of wild flora and fauna.

It is recognized that through the illegal trade in wildlife (including illegal logging), countries and their populations are being deprived of scarce renewable resources, and loss of income from a possible legal trade in such resources bears heavily on their revenues and undermines their ability to implement development programmes and to strengthen the rule of law. There is also an urgent need to highlight the fact that illegal trafficking in wildlife and illegal logging are not only imminent threats to natural biodiversity and wildlife preservation, but also a serious factor enriching transnational organized crime groups and negatively influencing the development of the rule of law.

Government of Albania and United Nations sign the Programme of Cooperation

24 October , Tirana, Albania: The Government of Albania (Mr. Niko Peleshi, Deputy Prime Minister) and the United Nations (Mr. Brian Williams, UN Resident Coordinator) signed today the Programme of Cooperation for Sustainable Development (PoCSD) that will enter into effect on 1 January

PoCSD is the over-arching "One Programme" of the Delivering as One approach that articulates UN Albania's vision, strategy and plan of action to support national development efforts over five years. It serves as the UN Sustainable Development Framework (the proposed new global reference label replacing "UNDAF"). 

The Programme is designed to support Albania in translating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the National Strategy for Development and Integration into actions. It is a result of the intensive consultations that took place in with participation from different national stakeholders including line ministries, civil society, development partners and private sector.

Seventeen UN agencies will contribute to implementation of the new PoCSD , which is expected to amount at $ million for joint initiatives over the five year period. In addition to this, individual UN agencies will continue to focus on areas of their mandate through their country programme and strategies. UNODC is a contributor and signatory to the PoCSD

Global Container Control Programme Annual Meeting organized in Albania

October , Durres, Albania: In , the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme has further expanded its coverage (over 30 countries) and improved the results of work. The CCP staff from around the world met in Durres to look into best practices and share experiences. The annual meeting reviewed the Programme's progress in the current year and defined the most important Programme's activity areas in

The Government of Albania has supported the meeting; its representatives emphasized the importance of the implementation of the CCP in Albania and the usefulness of the new standards that CCP has set in the implementation of the Integrated Border Management Strategy.

UNODC Co-Sponsors the National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in Bosnia and Herzegovina 

October, , Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Representatives from 49 institutions involved in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) in Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in Sarajevo to hold the first training and group workshop for the national ML/TF risk assessment of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The national ML/TF risk assessment is the process of identifying and evaluating the ML/TF risks in a particular jurisdiction and analyzing the main sources and drivers of these risks in order to develop effective and risk-based policies and actions, and allocate the available resources in the most efficient way to eliminate, control and mitigate these identified risks. Conducting this national risk assessment is in line with the increasing importance being placed on the assessment of risks of ML/TF by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the inter-governmental body developing and promoting policies to combat ML/TF. FATF recommendations state that national strategies, policy decisions and actions must correspond to the risks faced by each jurisdictions as such an approach will lead to the effective implementation of all of the FATF's further recommendations and immediate outcomes.

Assessing ML/TF risks is a challenging task due to the multi-dimensional nature of these unique crimes and lack of data/information in many jurisdictions. The practitioners from Bosnia and Herzegovina were trained on the World Bank Group's methodology for conducting national ML/TF risk assessments, which has been developed to overcome these challenges. In line with the decision passed by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, this project will be delivered through eight operational sub-working groups which report to a national risk ML/TF risk assessment coordinator. At this workshop, the eight sub-working groups conducted an initial assessment of the risks of ML/TF for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over the course of the coming months, more detailed and complete assessments will be made as data is gathered and further experts are interviewed. It is expected that this project will conclude in the 4 ^th quarter of

The workshop was organized jointly by UNODC, the British Embassy in Sarajevo, the World Bank Group and the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe. In addition, this workshop follows the preparatory national risk assessment workshop put on by UNODC in Sarajevo in May

The UNODC work in the field of anti-money laundering/counter-terrorism financing in South Eastern Europe is undertaken with the generous contribution of the Government of Turkey.

UNODC joins a comprehensive dialog on prevention and treatment of addiction in Croatia

October, Trogir, Croatia: UNODC participated in the Conference "Challenges in the field of addiction - do we have the right answers" organized by the Ministry of Social Policy and Youth and Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia in cooperation with the Euro-TC and the Office for Combating Drug Abuse of the Government of Croatia. The main goal of the Conference was to strengthen cooperation of bodies competent in the field of addition though the exchange of scientific knowledge and good practices. The Conference gathered representatives of government bodies, local and regional governments, experts, NGO representatives, professional employees in the health and social welfare system, as well as the police and the judiciary authorities responsible in the field of addiction. During the Conference, the participants had an opportunity to discuss a wide variety of topics, such as: developing access to prevention and treatment of drug addiction, prevention and treatment of addictive behaviour, coherent policies in the field of addiction and others.

The UNODC expert has participated in the opening events, meeting with and discussing drug use disorder treatment with government officials, international organizations and civil society partners, as well as made a presentation at the plenary session of the event entitled "Treatment and psychosocial rehabilitation of women with addiction problems". The presentation focused on supporting policy documents such as the International Standards for Treatment of Drug Use Disorders, as well as on trauma informed interventions and guidance related to pregnancy.

Paris Pact Expert Working Group Discusses the Integration of Drug Dependence Treatment in the Public Health System and Provides Recommendations

October , Belgrade, Serbia: The Paris Pact Initiative held its first Expert Working Group (EWG) in South Eastern Europe in which more than 60 experts from West and Central Asia, South Eastern Europe, US, Sweden and other countries, gathered to discuss the ways of integrating drug dependence treatment in the public health system. The goal of the meeting was to increase access to evidence based drug dependence treatment interventions, provided by qualified health professionals throughout the health system, which are effective and efficient. The EWG brought together experts from Paris Pact partner countries and organizations who are responsible for planning and implementing drug demand reduction policies, strategies and programs, including health service providers with clinical experience. Besides the experts from national institutions and international organizations Civil Society Organizations from Serbia also actively contributed to the discussions of the meeting.

UNODC's expert from the Drug Prevention and Health Branch facilitated the work of the meeting and highlighted the recent endorsement of the UNODC/WHO International Standards for the Treatment of Drug use Disorders and the outcomes and implications of UNGASS outcome document in relation to Public Health System. In their discussions, the experts reiterated the importance of having the evidence based drug treatment interventions and also acknowledged gaps and challenges in their national substance use treatment and prevention systems.

Following a presentation on the preliminary results of Treatment Quality Standards assessment, currently ongoing in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the experts proceeded with the discussion on the Quality Assurance mechanisms for drug treatment services with a regional focus on West and Central Asia and the Balkans.

The EWG also presented an opportunity for the participants to get first-hand information on current activities and best practice examples in the drug dependence treatment and care area from the partner countries and regional programmes such as the EU's Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP) and the UNODC-WHO Programme on Drug Dependence treatment and care in South Eastern Europe.

Based on the discussions and inputs provided by the meeting participants, the Expert Working Group concluded with the formulation of draft recommendations, to be endorsed at the forthcoming Paris Pact Policy Consultative Group Meeting.

The EWG was hosted by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia jointly with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Serbia. OSCE is a Paris Pact Initiative's partner.

UNODC presented the results of Lions Quest "Skills for Adolescence" programme implementation in Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

27 September , Podgorica, Montenegro; 29 September , Skopje, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Resulting from the collaborative efforts of the Lions Club International Foundation and UNODC, a drug use prevention programme of the Lions Quest "Skills for Adolescence" was availed in in the region of South Eastern Europe. The programme was initially conducted in Serbia followed with the expansion in Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The Lions Quest "Skills for Adolescence" is a school-based life skill programme targeting young people to develop skills, to accept the responsibility, to learn how to communicate effectively and make health decisions, as well as to resist pressure to use alcohol and drugs. With the active support of relevant Ministries, the programme was disseminated in 17 elementary schools in Montenegro and 47 elementary schools in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia reaching more than 2, students in the academic year

Organized by the Ministry of Education of Montenegro, a panel session on drug use prevention programmes addressing the adolescence period was convened with the representatives of expert society to present the results of the Lions Quest "Skills for Adolescence" programme. It was also aimed to discuss the value of the evidence based interventions for the national educational system. Furthermore, the interconnectivity prospects between the available programmes in the country and the newly established Lions Club initiative were showcased and acknowledged.

The Ministry of Education and Science of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia presented the programme results and in particular highlighted positive indirect outcome with the groups of students who were involved in the programme in view of their greater attachment to school, better scholastic achievements and decreased violence in schools. The initiative was commended as an evidences-based intervention of great importance for the national response system to drugs and its further expansion in the country was suggested by the Minister of Education and Science in his opening remarks.

During the implementation in both countries the programme was thoroughly monitored and the effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated using the standardized questioners with case and control groups in all schools targeting four main indicators: substance use, refusal skills, intention to use and normative beliefs. Preliminary programme results are convincing in displaying the positive trend among the assessed groups in terms of strengthening the refusal skills and with positive outcomes related to the intention to use alcohol, tobacco and cannabis.

Additional resources:

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UNODC advances the Strengthening Family Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina

September , Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina; September, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina: "Strengthening Family Programme " is a UNODC flagship drug use prevention programme actively promoted in the South Eastern Europe region since The Programme was initiated in the Republic of Serbia and Republic of Albania, and gradually expanded to other countries in the region.

Following the successful implementation of the Programme in the other parts of South Eastern Europe, UNODC has capitalized from the experience and started the programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, more specifically, in Banja Luka, Mostar and Sarajevo in , implicating 9 elementary schools and directly reaching more than 90 families.

Advancing the Programme implementation in collaboration with the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, two five-day Training of Trainers were organized in Banja Luka and Mostar where 21 national experts from 6 elementary schools were trained to carry on with the Programme execution directly in their elementary schools and their communities.

Starting at the end of October , up to 70 families in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be trained on family and parenting skills, family relationships and techniques to reduce problem behaviors, positioning the family values and protective factors as crucial response mechanism to prevent or delay the onset of drug use. With the results of this cycle, it is expected that the Programme will reach up to families in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Upon the completion of the second cycle, evaluation of the Programme implementation, along with the recommendations for further execution, is envisaged to attest the value of the Programme and additionally assist the national counterparts in utilizing the evidence based interventions more effectively.

UNODC and South Eastern Europe countries call for joint work in criminal asset identification

19 September , Budva, Montenegro:  Practitioners from South Eastern Europe and international experts gathered in Budva, Montenegro, at a UNODC-organized Criminal Asset Identification Conference held on 19 and 20 September. Participants at the meeting are sharing and starting the implementation of best practices in identifying assets acquired through criminal enterprise. Identifying these assets is a critical first step in the process to deprive criminals of their ill-gotten assets.

In recent years, this process has been made significantly more difficult as criminals have been taking measures to conceal their assets from authorities. A number of reports suggest they have increasingly started utilizing multiple jurisdictions to hide their dirty money, employing financial gatekeepers to act as intermediaries and exploiting secrecy vehicles to blur beneficial ownership of the assets. Only once all the practitioners get together and start employing their cutting edge toolkit to pierce through the veils put up by these criminals around their assets, can Member States begin the process of asset repatriation.

In a message delivered to the Conference, UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, said, "Money laundering is a global business that touches every country, and is worth billions of dollars to the criminal organizations." These words reinforce the importance UNODC has put on tackling organized crime through confiscating the benefit that crime provides. This Conference sets an example of UNODC's on-going support to all Member States in the region in building capacity to identify and recover criminal assets. Mr. Fedotov also encouraged all countries in the region to work jointly to curb the threat that organized crime represents.

Representing the Government of Montenegro was Tanja Ostojic, Acting Director General of the Directorate for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro and Chief of the Working Group for negotiations of Chapter 24 of the EU acquis which is focused on justice, freedom and security. Ms. Ostojic noted in her opening remarks that her country has made significant progress in the rule of law and that, while on its path towards full membership in the European Union, Montenegro and other jurisdictions in the region have designed ambitious, but realistic activities in their priority areas. Ms. Ostojic particularly emphasized the energetic commitment of countries in the region to implement obligations of the action plans for negotiating Chapters 23 and 24 of the EU acquis.

For her part, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Montenegro, Fiona McCluney, told delegates about the challenge posed by organized crime to sustainable development , as it distorts economies and erodes confidence in government institutions. Additionally, Ms. McCluney identified the way forward in combatting organized criminal activities, declaring that "cutting criminals off from their illicitly gained wealth is key to destroying the incentive to commit a crime, thus building a society where equal opportunities exist for all to participate in sustainable development."

At the event, which is part of the activities under UNODC's South Eastern Europe Regional Programme, practitioners from South Eastern Europe were able to interact with a number of global experts in the field attending the conference in order to share information and build a basis for potential joint investigations. The training methods and working relationships fostered through the conference can assist countries in South Eastern Europe to build a sustainable and effective network of experts who tackle the challenge organized crime presents to the region.

The UNODC work in the field of anti-money laundering/counter-terrorism financing in South Eastern Europe is undertaken with the generous contribution of the Government of Turkey.

Further information:

UNODC's work against money laundering

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Tirana Seminar Strengthens Understanding of Combatting Organized Crime

September , Tirana, Albania: George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies hosted a two-day regional seminar on combatting transnational organized crime to help Albanian and other regional policy makers better understand the challenges of organized crime at national and regional level and identify cooperative approaches to address them.
The participants of the event were greeted by the U.S. Ambassador to Albania, German Ambassador to Albania and the Marshall Center Associate Director for International Liaison. The participants of the seminar reviewed various aspects of organized crime and corruption, exchanged good practices and brainstormed on such topics as emerging trends in transnational organized crime, trafficking in persons, regional drug trafficking trends and challenges, migration and violent extremism, the role of financial intelligence units and the need for cooperation and information sharing.
The UNODC expert contributed to the discussion and presented the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in light of a case study.

UNODC works with South Eastern Europe Training Institutions on a Module addressing Cases Involving Foreign Terrorist Fighters

September , Vienna, Austria: An Expert Group Meeting on the 'Investigation and Adjudication of Cases Involving Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) in South Eastern Europe and Training Module Development' has been held in Vienna by the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch. The purpose of the event was to discuss and refine the draft training module on the investigation and adjudication of FTF cases. The finalized module will be distributed to national judicial centers and academies in South Eastern Europe to assist them in developing relevant training programmes. The module includes chapters on the overall approaches to the FTF phenomenon, the applicable international legal framework, the criminal offences related to FTF, including money laundering and terrorism financing, as well as investigation of offences related to FTF.

The development of the module is part of the UNODC regional project for South Eastern Europe funded by the Government of the USA. The goals of the project are:

1. Strengthen the capacity of national jurisdictions in the region in light of the increasing flow of international recruits to terrorist organizations, as identified by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 68/ of and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCR), including UNSCR () and ().  The former resolution condemns systematic and widespread abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law, including indiscriminate killing of civilians by terrorist groups, expresses concern that parts of Iraq and Syria are under the control of these groups, and placed six individuals affiliated with the groups on the UNSC Al-Qaida sanctions list. The latter resolution proposes to address the issue of FTFs by strengthening domestic criminal offences; stressing the importance of curbing the financial flow and providing material/logistical support to terrorist organizations; strengthening international cooperation and underscoring the role of the United Nations; preventive measures, including efforts to counter violent extremism through enhanced civil society and community engagement.

The UNODC project aims at addressing the FTF phenomenon and its global and regional risks by developing a training curriculum to enhance counter-terrorism criminal justice capacity of beneficiary jurisdictions to counter the FTF phenomenon in compliance with the rule of law.

2. Develop the capacity of criminal justice training institutions in South Eastern Europe to provide training on the specific legal and technical aspects related to countering FTF at the national and regional levels through the tailor-made FTF training modules that will include best practices and key practical case-law resources.

3. Enhance regional and sub-regional cooperation concerning specialized counter-terrorism aspects related to FTF between and among national jurisdictions in South-East Europe, especially through the support to the relevant training institutions.

The project targets criminal justice officials and national stakeholders involved in anti-terrorism work as well as criminal justice training institutions.

It is foreseen that the training modules will be translated into the languages of the region in order to ensure their most wide application and usage.

Steering Committee Meeting of the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme held in Montenegro