Activities

Emerging Crimes

The international community is facing increasingly complex crimes and it needs to be responsive to these emerging crime problems which are transnational in nature and global in terms of impact.

Organized crime exploits the advantages offered by new technologies, by the possibility of easily crossing frontiers, while capitalizing on the vulnerability of those millions of people who have limited resources and capacities to manage their every day life.

Nowadays, criminal groups are more structured and specialized in terms of organization and techniques. They take advantage of the markets trends and of the increasing worldwide demand for goods and services, they exploit the new market routes and the flows of people between countries. They are able to promptly establish new alliances to strengthen their capability of entering new markets and to move the products of their illegal activities from one place to another to avoid investigation and prosecution and to ultimately increase their revenues.

In today's world, a problem affecting a specific area can spread in every direction. Criminal groups that are based in local community are the facto operating at international levels thanks to global sociopolitical transformations. Criminal organizations have developed the ability to suddenly adapt their modus operandi and areas of intervention to these ever-changing scenarios and demands.  New threats are emerging, while older ones like corruption are being progressively perceived by the general consciousness as serious crimes and forms of organized crime that need an effective and enduring response.

UNICRI and Emerging Crimes

UNICRI's strategy to counter emerging crimes is reflected in the words of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon: "I urge you to be more innovative. When it comes to emerging threats such as cyber-crime, environmental crime and counterfeiting, we must stay one step ahead of the criminals. We must also be more effective in stopping the money flows enabled by corruption and money-laundering." If modern crime is increasingly organized, sophisticated and able to infiltrate our daily lives, we thus have a collective responsibility to develop new and innovative interventions to cope with the emerging and complex problems it poses.

UNICRI is actively involved in the efforts to reduce the impact of emerging crimes. Phenomena like trafficking in persons, corruption, counterfeiting, environmental and cyber crimes are increasingly affecting every country and the lives of millions of people. UNICRI's strategy is based on the assumption that such crimes must be faced through a multidisciplinary, transnational approach that envisages the involvement of different actors, from governments to civil society.

Sharing knowledge and information to counter global crimes

The Institute makes of knowledge its key asset. Its dual objective is to make the international community more responsive to emerging threats by providing sound information functional to the creation of technical assistance programmes in different countries, and to strengthen international and regional cooperation through information-sharing.

UNICRI conducts research, training and field activities to counter global crimes and it collects, exchanges and disseminates information. The Institute's activities constitute the basis leading to the formulation and implementation of improved policies in the field of crime prevention and control, with due regard being paid to the integration of such policies within broader frameworks for socio-economic change, development, and the protection of human rights.

Applying knowledge and information to counter global crimes

The Institute is actively involved in the protection of vulnerable people, such as victims of trafficking, youth at risk or in conflict with the law, the consumers of counterfeit products and the private sector affected by such phenomenon. UNICRI also designs practical models and systems to counter emerging crimes, to enhance institutions’ capacity to combat criminal groups and it develops mechanisms for the protection, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of crime and youth at risk.

The activities are carried out in several areas of the world, including Africa, South-East Asia, Central America, Eastern Europe and the Balkans. New alliances have been established by the Institute to strengthen the local and international response to emerging crimes.

Behind each of the crimes that the Institute is countering there is a victim. Anybody can be the target of these new emerging threats. That is why we need a prompt, collective and multifaceted response.