The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division in the United Nations Office at Vienna,adopting the current name in 2002.
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs,1961 is an international treaty that controls activities of specific narcotic drugs and lays down a system of regulations for their medical and scientific uses;it also establishes the International Narcotics Control Board.
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is an independent treaty body,one of the four treaty-mandated bodies under international drug control law.
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is one of the functional commissions of the United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC),and is the central drug policy-making body within the United Nations System. The CND also has important mandates under the three international drug control conventions,alongside the three other treaty-mandated bodies:United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,World Health Organization,and International Narcotics Control Board.
The World Drug Report is a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime annual publication that analyzes market trends,compiling detailed statistics on drug markets. Using data,it helps draw conclusions about drugs as an issue needing intervention by government agencies around the world. UNAIDs stated on its website "The use of illicit drugs needs to be understood as a social and health condition requiring sustained prevention,treatment,and care. This is one of the major conclusions emerging from the 2015 World Drug Report,published on 26 June by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime."
Transnational organized crime (TOC) is organized crime coordinated across national borders,involving groups or markets of individuals working in more than one country to plan and execute illegal business ventures. In order to achieve their goals,these criminal groups use systematic violence and corruption. Common transnational organized crimes include conveying drugs,conveying arms,trafficking for sex,toxic waste disposal,materials theft and poaching.
Yury Viktorovich Fedotov was a Russian diplomat. From 2010 to 2019 he served as executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and director-general of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) with the rank of Under-Secretary-General,after having previously served as the Ambassador of Russia to the United Kingdom.
A drug policy is the policy regarding the control and regulation of psychoactive substances,particularly those that are addictive or cause physical and mental dependence. While drug policies are generally implemented by governments,entities at all levels may have specific policies related to drugs.
International asset recovery is any effort by governments to repatriate the proceeds of corruption hidden in foreign jurisdictions. Such assets may include monies in bank accounts,real estate,vehicles,arts and artifacts,and precious metals. As defined under the United Nations Convention against Corruption,asset recovery refers to recovering the proceeds of corruption,rather than broader terms such as asset confiscation or asset forfeiture which refer to recovering the proceeds or instrumentalities of crime in general.
Slovakia is a Central European country with a history of relatively low crime. While crime became more widespread after the Revolutions of 1989,it remains low when compared to many other post-communist countries.
Jonathan Lucas was a former United Nations civil servant. He was appointed Secretary of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) in 2010 in replacement of Koli Kouame.
The Blue Heart Campaign is an international anti-trafficking program started by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Established in 1997,the UNODC supported countries in implementing three UN drug protocols. In 2000,after the UN General Assembly adopted the Protocol to Prevent,Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,the UNODC became the “guardian”of that protocol and assumed the functions of fighting against human trafficking. The Blue Heart Campaign was launched in March 2009 by the Executive Director of the UNODC,Antonio Maria Costa,during his address to the World's Women's Conference meeting in Vienna. The campaign's symbol is a blue heart. The Blue Heart Campaign uses its website,as well as Facebook,Twitter,YouTube,and Flickr to communicate goals,objectives,and news with the public.
The Secretariat for Multidimensional Security of the Organization of American States is a part of the General Secretariat,which is headquartered in Washington,D.C.,United States. The Secretariat for Multidimensional Security has a mandate to promote cooperation between Organization's Member States,Inter-American and international organizations,as well as with entities such as the United Nations and its subsidiaries,in order to analyze,prevent,confront and respond to security threats.
The Dagga Couple or DC is a pro-cannabis lobbyist organisation from South Africa founded by Julian Stobbs and Myrtle Clarke after the two were arrested for the possession and dealing in the substance in 2010. Rather than plead guilty,the couple decided instead to sue seven sectors of government that maintained and enforced the policy of cannabis prohibition in the country resulting in what has been described locally as the Trial of the Plant in 2017.
The status of cannabis in international law is a century-old history. Cannabis reform at the international level refers,in the 20th Century,to efforts to increase restrictions on cannabis use under international treaties;in the 21st Century,generally to efforts to ease or update such restrictions.
Costa Rica is a Central American nation that boasts of a noteworthy record on crime as compared to its neighbors in the region. It is one of few nations that have abolished their nation's armed forces. Having had a stable past,this country has been successful in developing its economy. However,since 2000 there has been a significant rise in criminal activity. Increase in domestic illegal activity,such as theft,homicide,and organised crime,has overwhelmed the local population. Sebastian Huhn reports that,"In a public opinion poll in 2011,45 percent of Costa Rican respondents said that crime and insecurity were the country’s biggest social problems." As a consequence of the overall societal changes,domestic-driven crime has been increasing in the environment that extends beyond traditional settings. Illegal activity,including distribution of weapons has been most commonly witnessed during the sporting events by 'barras' or fan clubs. Crime in Costa Rica,thus,is not only due to domestic crime groups but also transnational criminal organisations.
For Alternative Approaches to Addiction,Think &do tank is an international non-profit organization working on drug policy,created in 2015 and based in Paris,France.
Ghada Fathi Waly is an Egyptian politician who has been serving as the Director-General/ Executive Director of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV)/ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) since 2020,following her appointment by Secretary-General António Guterres. She holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Seychelles is a small island nation with a vast maritime territory,consisting of 115 islands and a 137 million square kilometer Exclusive Economic Zone. The prevalence of drugs in the country is high and the country is experiencing a heroin epidemic,with an equivalent to 10% of the working force using heroin in 2019. Due to its location along a major trafficking route,drugs can easily be trafficked by sea to Seychelles.
The Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative is an intergovernmental organization for cooperation supporting anti-corruption efforts of its nine South Eastern European member states:Albania,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Bulgaria,Croatia,Moldova,Montenegro,North Macedonia,Romania and Serbia. It was established in Sarajevo in February 2000. In 2007,all the 9 member states signed the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Cooperation in Fighting Corruption Through the South Eastern European Anti-Corruption Initiative amended in 2013 with a protocol for the adoption of the new name of the initiative.
