United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Mission
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. Established in 1997, UNODC assists Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. In the Millennium Declaration, Member States also resolved to intensify efforts to fight transnational crime in all its dimensions, to redouble the efforts to implement the commitment to counter the world drug problem and to take concerted action against international terrorism.
The UNODC is serving as the Secretariat for the functional commission of ECOSOC – Commission on Narcotics Drugs and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
(http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/index.html?ref=menuside)
It’s headquarter is in Vienna and it has 20 field offices as well as liaison offices in New York and Brussels.
Core functions
UNODC is mandated to assist Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. In the Millennium Declaration, Member States also resolved to intensify efforts to fight transnational crime in all its dimensions, to redouble the efforts to implement the commitment to counter the world drug problem and to take concerted action against international terrorism.
The three pillars of the UNODC work programme are:
In pursuing its objectives, UNODC makes every effort to integrate and mainstream the gender perspective, particularly in its projects for the provision of alternative livelihoods, as well as those against human trafficking.
According to the UNODC’s Strategy for 2012-2015, main tasks of the UNODC’s work are:
1. Countering transnational organized crime, illicit trafficking and illicit drug trafficking (Objectives: to promote effective responses to transnational organized crime, illicit trafficking and illicit drug trafficking by facilitating the implementation at the normative and operational levels of the relevant United Nations conventions)/
2. Countering corruption (Objectives: to prevent and combat corruption, in line with the United Nations Convention against Corruption).
3. Terrorism prevention (Objectives: To promote and strengthen a functional criminal justice regime against terrorism that is effective and is implemented by States in accordance with the rule of law).
4. Strengthening criminal justice system (Objectives: to strengthen the rule of law through the prevention of crime and the promotion of effective, fair, humane and accountable criminal justice systems, in line with the United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice and other relevant international instruments).
5. Prevention of drug use, treatment and reintegration, and alternative development (Main Objectives: reduction of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS through effective prevention campaigns; treatment, care, rehabilitation, and reintegration into society of drug users; development and implementation of effective, comprehensive, integrated drug demand reduction policies and programmes based on scientific evidence; fostering and strengthening of international cooperation based on the principle of shared responsibility in sustainable alternative development, including, where appropriate, preventive alternative development).
6. Research, trend analysis and forensics (Objectives: enhanced knowledge of thematic and cross-sectoral trends for effective policy formulation, operational response and impact assessment, based on a sound understanding of drug, crime and terrorism issues).
7. Policy support (Objectives: to facilitate policy and operational responses on issues related to drug control, crime prevention and criminal justice).
Cooperation with Ukraine
Ukraine is a party to all three international drug control treaties. In 1995 Ukraine adopted comprehensive drug control legislation and has subsequently enacted a number of regulations to enforce the drug control system. The country signed the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime on 12 December 2000 and the UN Convention against Corruption on 11 December 2003.
Ukraine is a member of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
The contribution of Ukraine to international efforts to fight against terrorism includes political, diplomatic, military and moral elements. In particular, we are the initiators of number of foreign policy initiatives within the framework of the United Nations.
In January 2003 Ukraine became a party to all 12 universal anti-terrorism instruments. The Law on Fight against Terrorism and the special Program of Antiterrorist Measures were adopted in Ukraine. The Antiterrorist Centre under the auspices of the Security Service of Ukraine is authorised to develop the conceptual basis for and programs of fight against terrorism, to investigate and to remove causes and conditions, which give rise to it.
During the Seminar on Implementation of the Universal Anti-terror Instruments held in Kiev on 21-24 November 2006, experts of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime welcomed efforts of Ukraine in this field. In particular, it was pointed out that, the Ukrainian legislation in this particular field could become the model one in the UN system for other states.
In 2008 and 2009 Ukraine hosted three UNODC’s conferences on the struggle against terrorism. Two of them were devoted to the anti-terrorist measures in the GUAM countries. In February 2010 UNODC’s Workshop on Enhancing International Legal Co-operation Related to Terrorism, Including the Drafting of Requests for Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance took place in Kyiv. Legal workshop for Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Countries on the Criminal Law Aspects of Countering Maritime Terrorism in Light of Relevant Universal Instruments held in Odessa on 26-27 May 2010, was co-organised by UNODC and OSCE.
Ukraine is a full-fledged member of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption and takes an active part in the ongoing process of Review of the implementation by member-states of the UN Convention against Corruption.
Ukraine fully supports the provisions of Political Declaration and Plan of Action on international cooperation towards an integrated and balanced strategy to counter the world drug problem, adopted at the high-level segment of the fifty-second session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, held on 11 and 12 March 2009. In the framework of 55-th session of CND (March 2012), delegation of Ukraine put forward an initiative on promoting programs aimed at treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration of drug-dependent persons, released from prison settings. Draft resolution, submitted by Ukraine and co-sponsored by delegations of the EU Member-States, as well as the USA, the Russian Federation, Israel, Burkina Faso, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Philippines, Cote-d’Ivuar, South Africa, Lebanon and Nigeria, was unanimously adopted by the Commission.
On 21-22 May 2012 Mr.Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) paid a two-day visit to Ukraine, where he met with Mr.V.Lytvyn, Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine and other Ukrainian officials. Further development of Ukraine-UNODC cooperation in such areas as drug control, HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of drug-dependent persons and capacity-building in the sphere of criminal justice were discussed.
Mr.Fedotov took part in a High-level International Conference hosted jointly by the State Service of Ukraine on Drugs Control (SSDC) and UNODC to discuss the new comprehensive approaches in the national policy of Ukraine to the problem of illicit drugs and treatment of drug-dependent persons.
The Executive Director pledged UNODC’s support to the Government of Ukraine in implementing New Anti-Drug Strategy of Ukraine till 2020 and further strengthening the counter-narcotic capacity of the country.
For further information about the UNODC, please, visit its web-site or contact the Secretariat:
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Vienna International Centre
PO Box 500
A-1400 Vienna
Austria
Telephone: +43 1 26060 0
Fax: +43 1 26060 5866
E-mail: [email protected]
www.unodc.org