Conference of the Parties to UNTOC, 13th session [Meeting 7]
Meetings & Events
Date: 22 October 2026
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/asset/k1u/k1ujullrl4
Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations.

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President [41:28]:

Good morning, everybody. We shall continue now with the consideration of agenda item, and I will give the floor to the delegation of Niger. Delegation of Niger, you have the floor.


Niger [41:48]:

Thank you, President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Niger reiterates its commitment to implementation of the Transnational Organized Crime Convention and its protocol against the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms or parts and components and ammunition. We are located in the Sahel. We have long frontiers with many countries, and we face particularly complex security challenges related to the proliferation and illicit trafficking of firearms. The situation is exacerbated by security crises in neighboring regions, the activity of terrorist groups and organized crime groups, and other groups that operate across our difficult to monitor vast border zones. Firearms, illicitly trafficked firearms feed terrorism, also ransom taking and violence against communities. They're a direct threat to the stability of states and the safety of civilian populations. They also undermine sustainable development. As underscored by Resolution 2617 of the UN Security Council, the nexus between terrorism and transnational organized crime today poses a major threat to international peace and security. In the context of the Sahel, this nexus features the use of firearms by terrorist groups and terrorist, or rather criminal networks. In the face of these challenges, we are building our institutional framework in order to combat illicit trafficking in firearms. Our national commission to collect and control illicit firearms plays an important role in preventing firearm proliferation and collecting them from their holders. We are carrying out action to step up border control and to build capacity among our competent authorities and to improve coordination. However, in view of the scale of the challenge of the transnational nature, national efforts need to be backed up by strengthened international cooperation. President, we call for increased technical and financial assistance to the countries most affected by illicit firearms trafficking. notably when it comes to firearms marking, tracing, management of stocks, border controls, and collection of data, as well as destruction of seized arms. We also underscore the need to strengthen international judicial cooperation mechanisms and information exchange instruments so as to better identify, pursue, and dismantle criminal networks involved in illicit firearm trafficking. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, combating illicit firearm trafficking requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the features and causes of insecurity. It must be based on a balance between the needs of security, sustainable development, consolidation of the rule of law, and the creation of social and economic opportunities for young people and the population at large. We are fully committed to cooperating with States Parties and international partners to consolidate the Protocol and thereby contribute to an effective collective response to transnational organized crime. Thank you.


President [45:40]:

Thank you very much for your statement. I now give the floor to the delegation of Angola. You have the floor.


Angola [45:48]:

Thank you, Mr. Scheel. Mr. President, distinguished delegates, the delegation of the Republic of Angola reaffirms its commitment to the full and

effective implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, now as part of the Palermo Convention, in

particular its protocol against the illicit manufacturing and of trafficking in firearms, their parts and components, and ammunition.

Concerned the review of the implementation of this protocol, Angola reiterate its long-standing and firm opposition to the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components. Combating this activity remain a major priority for national, regional and international security, particularly in Southern Africa. For Angola, the uncontrolled spread of an illicit trafficking is small arm and light weapon are not merely threats to the national security. They fuel transnational organized crime, violent crime, terrorism, and large-scale poaching. And they also contribute to socioeconomic instability and undermine peace around the world. In response to this challenge, the government of Angola has continued to strengthen structural and operational reform

in line with the guidance

of the UNODC and the review mechanism. Our strategy and operational priority include the following: Strengthening the criminal legal framework. Angola has made significant progress in criminalizing and increasing penalties for the illicit manufacturing, import, export, trade, and possession of firearms and ammunition.

Implementing government measure and strategy.

Angola has pursued a strategy based on three key pillars, strict board controls, digital fight tracing, and the disarmament of civilian population.

Mr. President, recently the National

Police of Angola and the Criminal Investigation Service in coordination with other defense and security force successfully

disrupted a considerable number of transnational network.

Although some of these These networks had attempted to use Angolan territory as transit point or destination for counterfeit small arms and ammunition concealed in cargo containers. In view of the challenges that remain in implementing the Firing Protocol, Angola would like to put forward the following recommendation: develop interoperable digital tracing platform, ensure that the review mechanism priorities, target, technical assistance, adopt strong global guidance. Mr. President, in conclusion, the Angola delegation reiterate that combating firearm trafficking require effective, robust, and international law enforcement and judicial cooperation.

Angola strongly support the

Intergovernmental Panel on the Import and Export of Small Arms and Light Weapons, and calls for the increased technical assistance and greater sharing of tracing technologies among State Parties in order to protect the African continent

for the threat posed by illicit firearms.

Thank you, Mr. President.


President [49:20]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the Russian Federation, followed by the Philippines.


Russian Federation [49:42]:

Distinguished President, I apologize. If I may, we would like to take the floor later.


President [49:53]:

And then I would give the floor to the delegation of the Philippines. You have the floor.


Philippines [50:01]:

Hello. Mr. President, the Philippines welcomes the Secretariat's report and commend the UNDC and ODC for its continued efforts to translate the firearms protocol into stronger legislation, more effective investigations and practical international cooperation. Although the Philippines has not yet signed or acceded to the protocol, We attach considerable importance to its objectives and remain committed to deepening our engagement with its framework. We welcome continued dialogue and technical assistance to support informed consideration of accession in accordance with our domestic processes. Our participation in the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime The Arms Trade Treaty and the United Nations Programme of Action provides a strong foundation for this engagement. In this regard, the outcomes of BMS 9 and ATT CSP 12 offer valuable guidance in advancing our shared objectives. First, we must address the channels through which legally manufactured and transferred firearms are diverted into illicit markets. For the Philippines as an archipelagic state, strengthened maritime cooperation is indispensable. The MS9 underscored the importance of engaging maritime and port authorities in regional coordination. while CSP 12 emphasize the significance of maritime transport and interagency cooperation. This commitment should be translated into practical measures, including stronger links among licensing authorities, customs administrations, law enforcement agencies, and coast guard, enhance information sharing on diversion risk, and closer cooperation along trafficking routes in accordance with international law. Second, every firearm seizure should serve as the starting point for a broader investigation. The Secretariat appropriately emphasizes the importance of pursuing the criminal networks that facilitate illicit arms flow. Effective marking, record keeping, and timely tracing can help establish where firearms were diverted, how they were transported, and who financed their movement. We express our appreciation to the NCPPOL for providing advanced investigative tools through its illicit arms records and tracing management systems and its ballistic information network. This complementary database support national authorities in tracing illicit firearms, identifying points of diversion and comparing ballistic evidence to establish links between crimes across borders. We encourage states to enhance their use of these tools by ensuring the timely submission of firearms records and ballistic data, providing prompt responses to tracing requests, and strengthening cooperation through their national central bureaus. The effectiveness of this mechanism depends on our collective commitment to information sharing and coordinated efforts to advance investigative leads. At the same time, parallel financing investigations are essential for identifying and disrupting these profits that sustain these networks. Third, our arms control efforts must remain firmly focused on protecting people and communities. We welcome the additional guidance adopted at CSP 12 on assessing the risk of serious gender-based violence. as well as BMS 9, emphasis on gender-responsive measures and the meaningful participation of women. These commitments should transfer, inform transfer decision, enforcement strategies, and prevention efforts, drawing on reliable evidence and the experience of affected communities. Finally, effective implementation requires accessible and sustained capacity building. We encourage the provision of continued technical assistance, including to interested States that have not yet become parties to this Protocol. Priority areas should include legislative assessment, the development of national tracing capacities, and responses to illicit manufacturing involving new technologies. Mr. President, behind every diverted firearm lies the potential of a life to be lost, a family to be displaced, and a community to be silenced. Our collective responsibility is to interrupt the chain. We therefore call upon all states to build upon the outcome of BMS-9 in New York, the ATT CSP 12 in Geneva and the results of our work at the third UN conference by adopting and implementing concrete measures to strengthen responsible arms control, enhance transparency and accountability, and advance the safety and security of our people. Thank you.


President [56:25]:

Thank you very much for your statement. I would recall for all delegations and kindly request all delegations to please stick to the speaking time limit. We still have many items before us on the agenda, and unless statements are shorter, we will not be able to conclude our work. And now I would like to give the floor to the Russian Federation.


Russian Federation [56:55]:

Thank you, distinguished President, distinguished colleagues, the Russian Federation shares the view of the European community and related countries in accordance with which the world in recent times has encountered an increase in firearms and ammunition and related crime and violence. We believe that this problem poses a serious threat to the security of the planet, and it will only increase going forward. At the same time, we agree with the, or rather, the EU drew its conclusions based on incorrect premises and tried to have the discussion go along a rail, a track that is against variance with our mandate. The Russian Federation, like many other delegations, many times called for non-politicization of our issues to be objective and to address the topic of countering transnational organized crime, which is the mandate of this convention, and find ways of addressing that. as regards the impact of events in Ukraine on the international crime situation, but it's an obvious impact. There is nothing to do with this so-called aggression by Russia. Contrary to what Mr. Hollegaatte said, there is no war of aggression against Russia. Russia is acting in self-defense to defend the Russian-speaking population against the Ukrainian Nazi government and is protecting its security against a backdrop of the violation by the NATO countries of their agreement not to expand, we believe we should draw attention to the fact that There has been an increase in illicit trafficking of firearms of Western production, which are flooding Ukraine, and there is incontrovertible proof of that. It is known that weapons deliveries to Ukraine are paid for by the EU, and the EU countries must be responsible for the security of those weapons, and they're not doing that. They're just pumping the country with more weapons. The EU countries are therefore violating their undertakings on nonproliferation of firearms and the agreements that they signed. So I would once again urge countries not to politicize these issues, to address issues objectively so as to come up with concrete ways of addressing transnational organized crime. Thank you.


President [1:00:09]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the delegation of the Organization of American States. You have the floor.


OAS [1:00:19]:

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, thank you for the opportunity to present the OAS's work to promote the implementation of the Firearms Protocol in our hemisphere. The OAS recognizes the Firearms Protocol as a critical international instrument to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components, and ammunition. In the Americas, implementation of the protocol has benefited from strong complementarities with the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials, known as SIFTA. which since 1997 serves as a key regional, legally binding framework supporting 31 states of the Americas in translating international commitments into practice. With the support of partners, including the European Union, the OAS has continued assisting member states in strengthening their capacities to implement SIFTA and the protocol. Allow me to highlight three recent developments. First, the OAS launched and is piloting a new digital SIFTA reporting mechanism through the Firearms Knowledge Platform, developed in coordination and cooperation with UNIDIR. This centralized information hub features a private interface for SIFTA States Parties and provides national authorities with real-time analytical dashboards. By tracking submitted data, the platform enables States to identify implementation gaps against established benchmarks, including those of the protocol, and better align policy frameworks with operational capacities. As of July 2026, 18 states have designated national points of contact and joined the pilot process. Second, the OAS and its partners continue to support regional cooperation frameworks that strengthen coordinated responses to illicit firearms trafficking. Following the adoption of the Central American and Dominican Republic Firearms Roadmap, participating states are actively advancing national action plans and coordinating mechanisms. Concurrently, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru have begun developing an Andean Firearms Roadmap to address shared security challenges through a unified strategic framework. Third, the OAS is strengthening investigative and operational capacities across the region. We developed a regional operational guide on firearms tracing and trained 91 officials from three countries on tracing methodologies. Furthermore, we advanced regional enforcement cooperation by co-hosting a preparatory seminar with Interpol for Operation Orca 11, which ultimately yielded significant law enforcement results against regional organized crime. The OAS remains firmly committed to supporting Member States in the effective implementation of the Convention and its Firearms Protocol. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with UNODC and all States Parties in advancing these shared objectives. Thank you, Chair.


President [1:03:39]:

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I give the floor to the delegation of INTERPOL. You have the floor.


INTERPOL [1:03:47]:

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates.

Interpol facilitates international law enforcement cooperation among its 196 member states to secure

communication channels, databases, and its system of colored codes, notices, and diffusions. By enabling the timely exchange of operational information and criminal intelligence, Interpol supports member states

in detecting and investigating the illicit manufacture of and trafficking in firearms.

thereby contributing to the effective implementation of the Firearms Protocol.

Through its firearms program, Interpol provides law enforcement agencies with access to the Illicit Arms Record and Tracing Management System, I-HARMS, a global platform that supports firearms tracing and information exchange.

With more than 2 million records, I-HARMS serves as a critical tool for identifying illicit firearms

detecting trafficking patterns and supporting cross-border investigations. Interpol is particularly grateful to the European Union for its substantial financial support to the development and strengthening of I-HARMS, which has helped make this important policing capability available to the international law enforcement community across its member states.

To further strengthen these capabilities, Interpol has established ARSENAL,

the Firearms Crime Analysis File, which transform information provided by Member States into actionable criminal intelligence. ARSUNAL integrates data from HIARMS, Interpol's TRIGGERS operation and other

relevant sources to identify trafficking routes, criminal networks, modus operandi, while supporting intelligence-led investigations and operational planning.

Beyond information exchange and criminal analysis, Interpol translates international cooperation into concrete operational outcomes through coordinated law enforcement activities. In June and July 2026, Interpol coordinated Operation Trigger 10, conducted across 17 countries in Europe and Central Asia.

The operation exposed the significant risks posed by the diversion of firearms from conflict-affected areas

into illicit markets, and highlight the links between firearms trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime. These findings reaffirm the importance of strengthened international cooperation, systematic firearms tracing,

and intelligence-led investigations to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal networks operating across borders.

Operation Trigger 10 also demonstrates how Interpol operational tools, analytic capabilities and international coordination mechanisms support Member States in translating the commitments of the United Nations Conventions against

Transnational Organized Crime and its Firearms Protocol into tangible law enforcement results. We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to Germany for its valuable support of these efforts. Germany's contribution has been instrumental in advancing collective actions against illicit firearms trafficking and enhancing regional and international security cooperation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.


President [1:07:22]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Ecuador. You have the floor.


Ecuador [1:07:30]:

Thank you very much, President. Ecuador reaffirms its commitment to the full implementation of the Firearms Protocol and is grateful to the Working Group for the work that has been carried out. The recommendations are a significant contribution in order to strengthening our collective response to handle the trafficking in firearms. For Ecuador, this phenomenon is one of the most worrying manifestations of transnational organized crime. Illicit firearms facilitate the commission of crimes and equally further strengthen the operational capacity of criminal organizations, fuel other illicit forms of the economy, and lead to a spread of violence and the weakening of the rule of law and security. For these reasons, we deem it fundamental to address this matter based on a comprehensive approach combining prevention, control, and criminal prosecution with international cooperation that is more effective In this context, we welcome the recommendations that were issued by the working group, in particular those recommendations that are geared towards further strengthening traceability of firearms, preventing their diversion to illicit markets, and strengthening the timely exchange of information among competent authorities. In the same vein, we underscore the need to build national capacity in identifying, registering, and tracing seized or confiscated firearms, as well as promoting investigations in order to identify trafficking routes that are used and dismantling criminal networks involved. President, Ecuador is of the view that the effective implementation of the firearms protocol requires international cooperation that is more practical in nature and geared towards obtaining results which will enable us to intercept illicit arms and equally identify their origin, prevent their diversion and combat the criminal organizations that are benefiting from trafficking in firearms. Thank you very much.


President [1:09:34]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to International Action Network on Small Arms. You have the floor.


IANSA · IANSA [1:09:44]:

Thank you very much, President.

Allow me to congratulate you and the Secretariat for the excellent work done thus far. I have the honor to speak on behalf of IANSA, a global network of over 700 non-governmental organizations working to prevent and reduce human suffering from the illicit trade and misuse of small arms and light weapons. Organized criminality and patterns of gun violence not only constitute a threat to international and national security, but also contribute to the erosion of democracy and the rule of law. Children and youth are particularly affected by the threat of such crime. Research done by AIANSA illustrate how children and youth are especially affected by gun violence. Targeted by organized criminal groups, they often suffer a complex duality becoming both perpetrators and victims of gun violence with devastating long-term consequences. The UN Secretary General has warned of a steady increase in the killing and maiming of children often committed with small arms and light weapons. Many thousands of young people are being drawn into small arms and light weapon related violence through combination of misguidance, poverty, and coercion. According to the UN agencies that deal in some way with the small arms and light weapon proliferation and misuse around the world, quote, "By far, the greatest risk of death and injury by gunshot, however, is borne by adolescent, youth, and young adults. in particular young males aged 15 to 29. Most of the victims and perpetrators of illegal armed violence in almost every region of the world come from this cohort. state should not ignore such a huge, critically affected population. AIANSA and other civil society organizations have called for the inclusion of youth perspectives in matters that directly or indirectly affect them by providing the space for youth participation and engagement. In line with AIANSA's effort to tackle the threat organized crime represents for children and youth, with the co-sponsorship of the Firearm program of UNODC, the European Union, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Ghana. AIANSA organized a conference side event held earlier yesterday entitled Preventing the Recruitment of Children by Armed and Criminal Groups, Mobilizing Civil Society. The side event presented the finding of the expert round table dialogue on mobilizing society, organization to prevent the recruitment of children by armed and criminal groups. held in Vienna in September of this year, in partnership with the Global Children Program of UNODC, the European Union, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Ghana. Today's side event presented concrete example to a wider audience of state parties gathered for the conference and showed what become possible when states, international and regional organization, and civil society organization work together on preventing such crime and armed violence. During the ninth biennial meeting of the States on the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, held in June of this year, IANSA stressed the urgency for States to take decisive action to ensure the strict regulation of the whole life cycle of small arms and light weapons, from the point of manufacture, prior to transfer, transport, retransfer, stockpiling and recovery, to their eventual use or disposal. Such measures can be done efficiently as part of the national target setting programs to strengthen national laws, regulation, and administrative procedures in line with the Program of Action and other relevant instruments, including legally binding instruments to which a state is a party and the new global framework for through-life conventional ammunition management development under the General Assembly. IANSA, like UNODC, believes that the effectiveness of the UN Firearms Protocol can be enhanced by states with the active support of civil society and industry. This is best done by implementing mutually complementary measures contained in other international instruments, such as the UNPOA, ITI, the GFA and the Arms Trade Treaty, as well as with relevant regional instruments that address illicit trade in small arms and their ammunition. Thank you for this opportunity to address the conference.


President [1:14:38]:

Thank you very much for your statement. I understand that there is a right of reply from the United States, and I will give them the floor. And also, I would like to remind all speakers to please stick to the speaking time limit when delivering your statements. Thank you very much. United States, you have the floor.


United States of America [1:15:05]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President. As I mentioned earlier in this week, we are here to engage on these particular agenda items, and in this case, it's the firearms protocol in a non-politicized, expert exchange manner. This is not the forum to raise extraneous topics. Doing so will only distract from this group's important work. We therefore do not intend to engage in repeated back-and-forth interventions on issues that are being discussed in other fora, but I felt compelled briefly to respond an hour of intervention by Iran on this topic. Thank you very much, Mr. President.


President [1:15:42]:

Thank you very much to the United States for their statement. We have heard all speakers on the list under agenda item 2D, and accordingly, we'll now proceed to take up the following agenda item, agenda item 3. other serious crimes as defined in the convention, including new forms and dimensions of transnational organized crime. After having considered the convention and its three protocols under previous agenda items, agenda item 3 offers an opportunity for the conference to consider the broad range of other serious crimes to which the organized crime convention may be applied. and how the Convention may be used by countries to prevent and combat these forms of dimensions of crime. In regard to some of those serious crimes, the Conference has adopted important resolutions in the past covering, for example, the trafficking of falsified medical products, trafficking of cultural property, organized fraud, as well as crimes that affect the environment. For the consideration of this item, the Conference has before it the following documents: a note by the Secretariat transmitting the reports on the meetings of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Group on Crimes that Affect the Environment Falling Within the Scope of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and Related Offences Covered by the Convention; held in Vienna from the 30th of June to the 2nd of July 2025 and from 24th to 26th of February 2026 contained in document ctoc/cop/2026/10. I will start by I will start by inviting the Secretariat of UNODC to introduce this item to the conference. You have the floor.


UNODC [1:17:58]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President. It's my pleasure to introduce agenda item 3 entitled "Other serious crimes as defined in the Convention, including new forms and dimensions of transnational organized crime." States parties have highlighted the ability of the Organized Crime Convention to foster international cooperation and the provision of technical assistance to address serious crimes within the meaning of article 2B of the convention. These include new and evolving forms and dimensions of transnational organized crime, such as organized fraud, crimes that affect the environment, cybercrime, manufacturing of and trafficking in falsified medical products, trafficking in cultural property, and maritime crime. While multiple resolutions have called on State Parties to establish these offences as serious crimes, as defined in the Convention, UNODC has continued to support them in preventing and countering such crimes, including their new, evolving and emerging forms. Please allow me to take a few minutes now to provide an update on some of the activities that UNODC has undertaken since the last session of the Conference. With regards to organized fraud increasing in scale and complexity worldwide, UNODC intensified its efforts to strengthen and align responses to this threat. In March this year, UNODC, in partnership with Interpol, convened the Global Fraud Summit in Vienna, bringing together ministers and other senior representatives from governments, international organizations, and the private sector. The Summit demonstrated that fraud can only be addressed through a whole of society response, combining preventive measures, regulation and disruption. That conviction underpins the Summit's two voluntary outcome documents. The first one, the call to action on combating fraud, addressed to member states on criminalization, enforcement and victim protection. and secondly, the Global Public-Private Partnership Framework Against Fraud. In implementing its mandates on organized fraud, UNODC will continue to support State Parties in enhancing public-private partnerships and information sharing, strengthening legal frameworks and national anti-fraud architectures, investigating and disrupting fraud, and improving prevention and victim support. crimes that affect the environment. Since the last session of the conference, UNODC has supported the implementation of COP resolution 12/4, entitled Enhancing measures to prevent and combat crimes that affect the environment, falling within the scope of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. paragraph 8 of which requested the Secretariat to report to the Conference at its 13th session on the progress of its implementation. Pursuant to paragraph 5 of the resolution, UNODC convened two meetings of an open-ended intergovernmental expert group on crimes that affect the environment, falling within the scope of the Convention and related offences covered by the Convention, held in Vienna from 30 June to 2 July 2025 and from 24 to 26 February 2026. The expert group meetings were convened thanks to the generous voluntary contributions made by the governments of France, Germany and Norway. Delegates from 103 countries participated in the two meetings of the expert group, in addition to delegates from 15 intergovernmental organizations and UN entities. The participation of delegates from seven least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing states was made possible through extra budgetary funds provided by donors pursuant to paragraph 9 of the resolution. To support the implementation of the resolution, UNODC also circulated a questionnaire among State Parties, observers and relevant intergovernmental organizations. The questionnaire received responses from 65 countries and 14 intergovernmental organizations and UN entities, which were published on the Experts Group website. Reports on both meetings, including the Chair's summary of deliberations, were published under the symbols CT0C/COP/WG.11/25/3 and 26/4, and were transmitted to the Conference at its 13th session. Furthermore, UNODC has supported more than 40 countries in responding to crimes that affect the environment, from crime scene to court. This has contributed to over 120 investigations and more than 350 seizures of protected wildlife, timber, precious metals, and hazardous waste. For example, in Brazil, officers trained by UNODC intercepted 13 kilograms of gold worth over $2 million. In Southern Africa, prosecutors trained on the fisheries value chain reported successful outcomes in court. And in Southeast Asia, a new wildlife DNA forensic network is bringing experts together to strengthen evidence for prosecution. UNODC also supported normative responses to crimes that affect the environment, having published a legislative guide on combating pollution crime and provided legislative assistance to Congo, Ghana, and South Africa. With the growing misuse of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes, UNODC continued to support states in preventing and combating cybercrime. A milestone in this regard was the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, which opened for signature in Hanoi in October 2025. As of October 2026, the Convention has 95 signatories and three state parties. It is the first global legal framework to address key cybercrime offenses, harmonize procedural powers, and strengthen international cooperation in collecting, preserving, and sharing electronic evidence. As the guardian of the convention, UNODC supports states through legislative assistance, capacity building, and development of practical tools to strengthen cybercrime prevention, criminal justice responses, and international cooperation. having trained over 10,700 criminal justice practitioners and law enforcement officers from more than 70 countries. UNODC also continued to strengthen criminal justice responses to falsified medical products through analytical work, capacity building and cooperation with law enforcement, customs, health and regulatory authorities, as well as relevant private sector actors. UNODC advanced its joint work with WHO on pharmaceutical supply chain integrity, including the study trafficking of medical products in Central Africa, and partnered with the Council of Europe and the Pharmaceutical Security Institute on information sharing, public-private cooperation, and operational responses to criminal networks involved in falsified medical products. Maritime crime. Against a backdrop of renewed piracy threats and continued risks to seafarers in the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden, UNODC continued to support States in preventing and responding to piracy, armed robbery at sea and broader maritime crime. having supported over 5,700 maritime law enforcement personnel through targeted training and mentoring, and supported regional cooperation efforts across the Gulf of Aden and Eastern and Southern Africa, including through the launch of Western Indian Ocean's Regional Centre of Excellence on Maritime Law Enforcement in the Seychelles. Finally, UNODC continued to support States Parties' efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in cultural property, providing focused technical assistance to over 250 practitioners in Egypt and Lebanon on topics ranging from digital investigations and criminal network analysis to detection of fraudulent documentation and judicial responses to trafficking in cultural property. Mr. President, distinguished delegates, the Secretariat hopes that the documentation prepared by it and this brief account will facilitate the considerations by the Conference of how to make full use of the provision of the Organized Crime Convention to better prevent and combat other serious crimes, including new forms and dimension of transnational organized crime. Thank you, Mr. President.


President [1:27:52]:

Thank you very much for your statement. Thank you very much for the report. I now have the pleasure of inviting Mr. Carlos Alberto Sanchez del Aguila of Peru, the chair of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Group on Crimes that Affect the Environment, falling within the scope of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and related offenses covered by the convention, to make some remarks. Mr. Sanchez, you have the floor.


Peru · Chair [1:28:28]:

Good morning, President. Warm greetings from the delegation of Peru. It's a pleasure to have a member of our regional group guiding our work. Please know that you can count on our full support to ensure a successful fulfillment of your tasks. I shall now proceed to deliver a report on the results of the two meetings held by the Intergovernmental Open-Ended Expert Group on Crimes that Affect the Environment. And I will be switching to English, President, for that, in order to deliver my report.

President, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, it is my honor to report to this conference as chair of the Intergovernmental Expert Group on Crumbs that affect the environment on the implementation of resolution 12/4. Following two meetings in 2025 and 2026, complemented by informal consultations and extensive deliberations, the group substantively fulfill all three components of its mandate. The process generated remarkable international attention. 90 parties were represented at the second meeting, while 63 parties and 15 international organizations contributed to UNODC's questionnaire in this matter. It also stimulated the preparation of substantial updated technical documentation, significantly enriching our collective knowledge. Particularly noteworthy is UNODC's comprehensive legal analysis covering 44 treaties and 89 additional international instruments, providing an invaluable foundation for future work in this field. Okay, now, I will address briefly on the implementation of the mandate of the resolution. First, regarding the application of the Palermo Convention, our deliberations confirm its relevance while revealing significant underutilization. Among responding states collecting relevant information, 38% reported never having applied the convention to environmental crimes during the preceding five years. The group also deepened our understanding of their increasingly transnational and organized nature, their convergence with corruption, money laundering and other illicit activities, and their consequences for ecosystems, governance and communities. Second, regarding the gaps in the international legal framework. The group examined fragmented criminalization, divergent definitions and penalties, dual criminality obstacles, limitations in judicial cooperation, financial investigations and asset recovery, insufficient traceability, corporate liability, environmental restoration, and protection of indigenous peoples and environmental defenders. Notably, 59% of responding states recognized or tended to recognize possible gaps in the international legal framework. Third, regarding possible responses, the group considered a stronger implementation of existing instruments, legislative harmonization, enhanced international cooperation, capacity building, and the possibility, feasibility, and merits of an additional protocol. Significantly, 52% of valid questionnaire responses consider such a protocol feasible and meritorious. Building upon this deliberation, the Chair prepared eight draft recommendations, including 16 details of recommendations under recommendation eight, providing a comprehensive framework for possible future action, Mr. Chair. These proposals address harmonized criminalization, corporate accountability, strengthened judicial cooperation, financial investigations, asset recovery, traceability of illicit commodities, environmental restoration, protection of indigenous peoples and environmental defenders, as well as meaningful civil society participation. They also contemplated the development of an additional protocol to the Convention. Although not adopted by consensus, these proposals remain a valuable substantive contribution of our collective diplomatic exercise within the IEG. Resolution 12/4 mandated the group to examine the three mandates I just mentioned to you. and deliver any consensual recommendations. As you all know, unfortunately, the consensual recommendations were elusive, so that's the reason we could not deliver any one to this conference, but I could deliver all of the rest added value that we gained during this journey of the IEG and from my point of view, I consider that the mandate has duly fulfilled, Mr. Chair. Allow me three final reflections to conclude, Mr. Chair. First, environmental crime must be addressed not merely as an environmental concern, but as a serious expression of transnational organized crime that represents a challenge to governance, sustainable development, and the rule of law. Second, A stronger implementation of existing instruments and further normative development should not necessarily be regarded as competing or exclusive alternative, but as potentially complementary responses. Third, while differences remain regarding the appropriate legal response, the process has substantially clarified the challenge, the existing limitations, and the options before us, Mr. Chair. I sincerely thank all delegations, experts, UNODC, and civil society partners for their invaluable contributions. The expert group has completed its mandate. Its findings provide a substantive foundation for the political decisions now entrusted to this conference, Mr. Chair. We have moved from recognizing the problem to understanding its dimensions and identifying possible solutions. The question before us, Mr. Chair and distinguished delegates, is no longer whether environmental crimes deserve international attention, but whether our collective response will match the scale and urgency of the challenge. Thank you, Mr. Chair.


President [1:35:45]:

Thank you very much for your statement. I now open the floor to delegations on this agenda item. And the first speaker on my list is the delegation of Australia. You have the floor.


Australia [1:36:03]:

Thank you, distinguished delegates. Australia is deeply concerned by the emergence of online scam networks as a significant global transnational organized crime threat.

And the increasing scale, sophistication, and geographic spread of these operations.

This crime type reflects the convergence of trafficking in persons for forced criminality, cyber-enabled fraud, money laundering, corruption, and other forms of serious criminality. Scam operations thrive in environments characterized by weak governance, limited regulatory oversight, corruption, and constrained law enforcement capacity. They have demonstrated a high degree of resilience and adaptability, leveraging digital infrastructure, encrypted communications, illicit financial networks, and emerging technologies to evade detection and disperse operations from large-scale compounds into smaller urban-based setups that are more difficult to identify, disrupt, and dismantle. The scale of harm linked to these activities continues to grow. Australians lost $2.18 billion to scams in 2025, and global losses exceed $110 billion. Australia is particularly concerned by the exploitation of individuals trafficked into scam operations through deception, coercion, and abuse. All possible efforts should be made that victims of trafficking for forced criminality are identified and supported as victims of crime. Effective responses must address the full criminal ecosystem that enables scam operations. Law enforcement action remains essential, but disruption efforts are unlikely to succeed in isolation.

Australia pursues a whole of society approach that integrates prevention, disruption, investigation, prosecution and victim survivor recovery.

The National Anti-Scam Centre coordinates law enforcement disruption, public awareness initiatives, regulatory reform and strengthen partnerships between government and industry to disrupt scam activity in real time. In this year alone, Australian agencies reviewed approximately 700,000 websites and facilitated the removal of around 15,000 scam-related domains. The Scams Prevention Framework places greater responsibility on banks, telecommunications and digital platform sectors to take action to protect consumers. Australia recognises that no country can address this challenge alone and has significantly expanded international engagement with key partners to strengthen our region's response to online scams. Through ASEAN, the Bali Process, bilateral relationships and other regional mechanisms, Australia is supporting efforts to build investigative, prosecutorial and prevention capabilities, strengthen victim protection frameworks and improve cooperation against trafficking for forced criminality associated with scam centres. And since 2024, the Australian Federal Police's Operation Firestorm has worked with partners in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe to target, identify and disrupt cyber criminals and human traffickers. The information recovered through these operations supports operational action against regional criminal networks and to identify and notify thousands of Australian victims whose personal information may have been compromised or linked to scam activity. Australia welcomes continued international collaboration to disrupt scam operations, support victims, and hold organised criminal groups accountable.

Thank you.


President [1:39:22]:

Thank you very much for your statement, and I now give the floor to China, followed by Colombia, and then Slovakia. China, you have the floor.


China [1:39:32]:

Thank you, Chair. I would like to talk about China's practice in the following two areas. First, with regard to telecom fraud and online gambling, today, telecom fraud and online gambling, are spreading at an unprecedented speed and scale, becoming a cancer that seriously endangers people's lives and property. The Chinese government takes this scourge seriously and has consistently taken action to combat it. We have established a national level interdepartmental coordination mechanism at a national level spanning public security, foreign affairs, justice, finance, cybersecurity, education to enhance the overall effectiveness of our efforts. We have enacted anti-telecom and online law and issued a series of judicial interpretations, strengthening the legal basis for committing such crimes. China has actively advanced cooperation, working with the US, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and other countries. We have dismantled scam centers, eliminated the armed syndicates of the four major families in northern Myanmar and extradited and repatriated numerous fraud ring leaders. We strongly support Interpol in the Operation First Light. China has been deeply involved in the international rulemaking, driving the conclusion of a UN Convention against Cybercrime and becoming one of its first signatories. We have also launched education campaigns in order to further strengthen global governance in combating telecom and online fraud. China spearheaded the establishment of the international alliance against telecom and online fraud and successfully holding its inaugural conference in the past September, since the beginning of this year, China has been carrying out. law enforcement cooperation with 19 countries, including Cambodia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Madagascar. Next week, we will, together with the participating member states, hold a negotiation session on the founding convention. We welcome all countries to participate in the alliance and work together against the scourge on environmental crime. China holds that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets and unswervingly follows a path that prioritizes ecology and green development. consistent combative environmental crimes at every stage and continue to advance the beautiful China initiative. In August this year, the ecological and environmental code of the People's Republic of China officially entered into force, making a new stage of codification of China's rule of law on ecological protection. With respect to environmental crime, China's criminal law established over 20 offenses and completed more than 10 judicial interpretations on wildlife protection and environmental pollution. At the same time, China has acceded to a series of conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and strictly fulfilled its obligations. We have launched campaigns against smuggling, actively working with Interpol, World Customs Organization, to resolutely combat transnational environmental crime. To combat this crime, we need to fully leverage the convention, criminalize environmental offenses, strengthen law enforcement, cooperation. We welcome all countries to work together under the framework of the country and have discussions in this regard. We call on all countries to build consensus, seek the greatest common denominator, advance the process in a steady, balanced manner based on several consultation and mutual agreement. This process should respect national conditions and avoid imposing unnecessary obligations on state parties. Thank you, Chair.


President [1:43:08]:

Thank you very much for your statement. I now give the floor to the delegation of Colombia.


Colombia [1:43:16]:

Thank you very much, President, distinguished delegations. Colombia would like to take the floor in order to thank the delegation of Brazil and the 133 delegations and experts of all regions who, since the adoption of resolution 12/4 in 2024, have contributed to the work of the expert group. in order to strengthen measures to prevent and combat crimes that affect the environment. We are also grateful to the delegation of Peru for the presentation of the report and recognize their efforts in chairing the discussions and debates held within the expert group. Crimes that affect the environment are no longer merely environmental matters, but rather have become a business model used by transnational organized crime. The proceeds from crimes that affect the environment fuel violence, corruption, drugs trafficking, and asset laundering. That is why Colombia prizes the resolutely criminal justice approach of this initiative. This is not just about establishing an additional environmental instrument. It is about bolstering the capacity and supplementing the capacity of states to investigate, prosecute, and dismantle the criminal economies that are financed by using natural resources. For Colombia, this discussion has a deep impact on our society and has tangible consequences for us. Illegal mining affects more than half of our municipalities and, alongside trafficking in drugs, is one of the main sources of financing of armed groups. Moreover, It involves a transnational chain from the supply of mercury and machinery up until the trading and selling of gold, which means that no national effort made in isolation, no matter how comprehensive it may be, is sufficient. That is why my delegation wishes to identify the following three structural shortcomings in the current international framework. First of all, fragmentation. Multilateral environmental agreements establish obligations for environmental protection and in specific areas for preservation and sustainable use of natural resources. However, as a whole, they do not establish minimal common standards for criminalization. Secondly, divergence among national legislations. This divergence impedes dual criminality and restricts mutual legal assistance and extradition. Thirdly, And finally, the lack of capacity to trace the illicit origin of resources, to follow the financial flows and to identify the end beneficiaries. This shortcoming means that criminal proceeds are able to enter legal markets. An additional protocol would make it possible to close these gaps, and the draft proposes to do this using safeguards that Colombia welcomes. preserving the full and continued sovereignty of states over their natural resources, maintaining the protocol within the scope of the convention, and respecting the mandates set forth in multilateral environmental agreements. We are aware of the costs involved in negotiating and implementing a new instrument. However, these costs should be offset against the costs that our states and societies currently face as a result of the crimes that affect the environment. From that angle, therefore, equipping ourselves with better tools in order to prevent, investigate, and prosecute such conduct is not a waste, but rather an investment in the future. Based on these premises, Colombia restates its commitment to the further strengthening of the international criminal response to tackle crimes that affect the environment and to weaken the criminal structures that benefit from these. Thank you very much, President.


President [1:47:07]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Slovakia, followed by Tanzania and Namibia. Slovakia, you have the floor.


Slovakia [1:47:16]:

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, and distinguished partners. Our society faces a number of serious challenges. It's evident that most of these are the subject of meeting of the parties of UNTOC. Crimes involving the illicit trafficking of arms or human beings, as well as large-scale economic crimes committed in an organized manner are considered particularly grave. Combating them is a standard component of international law governing cooperation in criminal matters. The seriousness of the mentioned criminal offenses committed by organized crime groups is determined primarily by their impact on global security, the economy, the society, and the single organism. Please, let's discuss how environmental crimes differ in this manner. The global impact of environmental crime is an indisputable fact, which is in addition to the currently measurable threats to natural resources. Also, it encompasses the impact of future generations. At the same time, the consequences in the form of economic damage are uncountable. In the case of criminal offenses falling within the scope of UNTOK, we are, of course, not talking about ordinary local violations or about the criminal offenses committed by individuals. Given the mentioned factors, the seriousness of environmental crimes when compared to other offenses covered by UNTOK is comparable, if not greater, particularly in light of their serious, long-lasting, and often irreversible consequences. The obligation to penalize environmental crimes does not come solely from European legislation, national laws, or, for example, the Lacey Act in the US. It also comes from international conventions that we are obliged to observe. These include agreements such as Basel Convention, Montreal Protocol, CITES Conventions and many others, which mandate that unlawful acts involving waste, greenhouse gases, wild animals, be prosecuted as a criminal offenses. It follows from the above that we should ensure not only to substantive classification or the act as a criminal offense, but also the availability of international and judicial instrument for law enforcement in this area. In conclusion, I would like to note that the list of criminal offences in the UNTOC and its protocols is not merely a random selection of priority areas for us, but rather reflects specific common interests agreed upon at the conference and the parties of the UNTOC. If we choose the fight against organized environmental crime as a priority, it will be understood and implemented in this way within the national policies of UN member states as well. Thank you very much.


Speaker 33 [1:50:40]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of the United Republic of Tanzania. You have the floor.


United Republic of Tanzania [1:50:48]:

Mr. President, Excellencies, and distinguished delegates, the United Republic of Tanzania has taken significant steps to implement the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, particularly in addressing other serious crimes. through legislative reforms, offenses such as corruption, money laundering, cyber crime, and trafficking in casual property have been criminalized.

In addition, the government is developing a strategic.

Framework to guide the enactment of legislation regulating the use of cryptocurrencies and virtual assets. At the institutional level, the National Prosecution Service, the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau, The Financial Intelligence Unit, the Tanzania Police Force and other investigative organs have been strengthened to effectively investigate and prosecute complex cases. The United Republic of Tanzania also continues to engage effectively in mutual legal assistance and extradition, therefore reinforcing international cooperation. Furthermore, the United Republic of Tanzania has invested in capacity building for prosecutors, judges, and investigators, complemented by public awareness campaigns that promote citizen participation. Notwithstanding limited resources and technological gaps, the country remains focused on promoting the use of digital platforms, enhancing regional intelligence sharing, and upholding judicial independence to ensure impartial prosecution of serious crimes. These efforts reflect the determination of the United Republic of Tanzania to consolidate the progress achieved and to strengthen its contribution to global crime prevention. I thank you, Mr. President.


President [1:52:49]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Namibia.


Namibia [1:52:56]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Namibia aligns itself with the collective commitment to strengthen international cooperation in preventing and combating transnational organized crime that affect the environment falling within the scope of the Convention and related offenses covered by the Convention. Namibia recognizes that criminal networks increasingly take advantage of the absence of specific international legal framework and national legislation, the lack of harmonization between between approaches to criminalizing crimes that affect the environment and the absence of international mechanisms for the traceability of natural resources and the trivialization of crimes that affect the environment. No state can effectively address these challenges in isolation. Namibia, therefore, reaffirms the importance of the United Nations Convention against Transorganized Crime. particularly articles 5, 6, 7, and 8, and 23, concerning criminalization of participation in organized criminal groups, the laundering of proceeds of crime, money laundering, and corruption, respectively. Their effective implementation is essential to ensuring that criminal investigations do not end at national borders and that the perpetrators cannot evade justice by moving between jurisdictions. Namibia emphasizes the importance of making effective use of the commission's provisions on joint investigation law enforcement cooperation prosecution adjudication and sanctions and mutual legal assistance in accordance with the domestic law in applicable International obligations efficient procedures clear communication and timely responses among competent authorities can improve the effectiveness of cross-border investigation and prosecution ladies and gentlemen Namibia supports the idea of developing one or more broad in scope additional protocols to the Organized Crime Convention, specifically focusing on crimes that affect the environment. Any additional protocol would help to address the existing gaps by providing a coherent and legally binding framework for the criminalization, investigation and prosecution of crimes that affect the environment. Additional protocols would strengthen information exchange by promoting mechanisms for the collection and sharing of data and enhanced capacity building, including in relation to the establishment of specialized law enforcement units to combat crimes that affect the environment. We therefore endorse efforts to protect individuals involved in the combating of crimes that affect the environment, including whistleblowers, environmental defenders, and environmental officials, and the establishment of mechanisms for reparation remediation, restoration, and compensation for damage in line with the polluter pays principle and the concepts of restorative justice. Namibia stresses the need to address the links between crimes that affect the environment and related crimes such as money laundering, fraud, and corruption, and the importance of strengthening financial investigations in the context of any additional protocol, including measures to trace, seize, and confiscate proceeds of crime and to recover and repatriate assets. Criminal networks should not be able to rely on jurisdictional boundaries to conceal or retain the benefits of their activities. Information exchange and cooperation among relevant authorities, including financial intelligence units, where appropriate, can help strengthen financial investigation and asset recovery. Namibia's Controlled Wildlife Products and Trade Act 9 of 2008 implements the Convention on International Trade in endangered species of wildlife, fauna and flora societies. Provides appointed natural nature conservation prosecutors, police officers, customs officials, courts and state inspectors with broad powers of search, seizure, inspection, prosecution and sentencing. By sentencing by setting harsh penalties for offenders found guilty of unlawful dealing, manufacturing, importing, exporting, opposition of controlled wildlife products. Thereby strengthening Namibia's statutory framework. Ladies and gentlemen, International cooperation should be guided by the principle that preventing and combating crimes that affect the environment is a common and shared responsibility. Criminal networks should not be able to rely on jurisdictional boundaries and legislative gaps to conceal or retain the benefits of their activities. In conclusion, Namibia remains committed to the constructive multilateral cooperation against transnational organized crime. We believe that stronger international legal framework, timely mutual legal assistance, and robust cross-border asset recovery mechanisms are essential to closing the spaces in which organized criminal networks operate. I thank you.


President [1:57:43]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the Russian Federation, followed by Indonesia and Angola. Russian Federation, you have the floor.


Russian Federation [1:57:52]:

Thank you, Chairperson, rather, President. The Russian Federation thanks the authors of the draft resolution. We very much commend their efforts to come to a solution with respect to transnational crimes that do affect the environment. We share the concern at the scale of this issue, and we confirm our agreement that it's important we take measures. In the intercessional period, the member states and the secretariat carried out tremendous work and were able to look in detail at issues that countries face and solutions thereto, and exchanging good practices and experience. also addressed was the issue of existing environmental protection agreements, which already provide specific regulations that seek to obtain proactive and reactive measures. It is very important to ensure that we do not duplicate that. In adopting decisions with respect to future activities, we need to determine the scope That would allow us to have more substantive discussions and to ensure better effectiveness, taking on board the financial cost. Another key aspect is the need to develop standardised terminology. At the present time, international practice lacks official terminology for definitions for environmental crime and environmental damage. This is due to differences among legal systems and approaches to measuring harm and the complexity of developing definitions that would cover all instances. The creation of a universal mechanism that would take on board the national conditions of all countries has its own specificities too. In countries, we have differences in definitions of types of natural resources, and this makes it difficult for us to come up with standardized criteria for criminalization. There can also be difficulties and risks when adopting a universal mechanism for dangerous waste products, given the terminology that's used in the other conventions. However, the urgency of the topic underscores the importance of cooperation between countries and exchange of experience and best practices. The provision of technical support and capacity building in combating transnational organized crime that affects the environment is important too. The measures that are proposed, we believe, could be based first and foremost on building capacity in affected countries. We stand ready in the future to engage in constructive dialogue under the UNTOC Convention on this matter. Thank you.


President [2:01:26]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the delegation of Indonesia, followed by Angola. Indonesia, you have the floor.


Indonesia [2:01:34]:

Thank you.

Mr. President, Indonesia share concern over evolving.

Global crime trends and emerging issues, including the misuse of technology for cybercrime, trafficking in person, terrorism, and child ***********. in particular crimes that affect the environment, including illegal fishing, all of which require urgent and concerted international action.

Under agenda item 2A and 2B.

Indonesia delegation highlighted how Indonesian national have been affected by the large-scale criminal exploitation of technology, which has fueled.

Trafficking in person for the purpose of forced criminality, particularly in online scam operation.

On terrorism and violent extremism, online and offline radicalization are increasingly converging.

Digital platforms are exploited to spread propaganda, recruit vulnerable individuals, and reinforce extremist networks and narratives. The threat has become far-reaching, particularly affecting children and youth through social media, encrypted chats, online gaming platforms, and the misuse of AI.

One area of particular focus is crimes that affect the environment, an issue now receiving significant attention from the conference.

Indonesia maintains a profound commitment to combating crimes that affect the environment, including by undertaking the multi-door approach with the involvement of different stakeholder, intelligence-led enforcement, strict accountability measures on cooperation, and advancing more operational international cooperation. Indonesia has also pursued law enforcement that goes beyond criminal prosecution, incorporating civil law measures, and continues to advocate for.

Judicial outcomes that move toward environmental restoration.

We acknowledge the importance of tackling the crimes against the environment. At the same time, we believe that in tackling these crimes, must respect state sovereignty and national circumstances. provide better access for information sharing and capacity building, and refrain from creating additional conditionalities for trade and investment. Mr. President, Indonesia is of the view that UNTOC already provides an adequate legal basis for international cooperation on conduct that constitutes a serious crime, is transnational in nature, and involves an organized criminal group.

Accordingly, the principal challenges lies not.

In the absence of a legal basis, but in gaps in implementation, the harmonization of penalty threshold, and incapacity. Addressing this gap requires effective and reliable international cooperation. Indonesia supports strengthening such cooperation by making optimal use of.

Existing instrument, in particular, UNTOC, UNCAC, regional and bilateral mutual legal assistance arrangement.

Before considering the elaboration of a new protocol.

Such cooperation must be non-discriminatory and must not be used as a barrier to trade or as a tool of unilateral pressure against states that are custodians of their resources. To conclude, Indonesia supports continued dialogue to bridge differences on definition and scope.

And to strengthen international cooperation through existing UNTOC mechanism and enhanced implementation without prejudice to the final outcome of the.

Discussion.

Thank you.


President [2:05:11]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Angola, followed by the delegation of Peru and Zimbabwe. Angola, you have the floor.


Angola [2:05:28]:

Mr. President, distinguished delegates, the Republic of Angola recognizes that other serious crimes covered by the UNTOC continue to pose significant challenge to security, sustainable development, and the stability of our society. Angola is particularly concerned about the activities of organized crime groups involved in crimes against the environment. These include the illegal trafficking of wildlife and plants, the exploitation of natural resources, and the trafficking of hazardous waste. Such activities threaten biodiversity, damage ecosystems, and undermine sustainable development, as well as the well-being of future generations. They are often committed by the well-organized transnational criminal network with the use complex financial operation and may rely on corruption to support their activity. In response, Angola has established an integrated coordination model led by the Office of the Attorney General. It brings together development authorities, criminal investigation police, and the judiciary. This work is guided by a strategic plan building around four pillars. In this context, the Angola of The Republic of Angola reiterates its support for an additional protocol to the UNTOC, specifically addressing the criminalizing of offenses mentioned above. Mr. President, cybercrime is also a growing threat. Digital technologies are being used to commit fraud, steal identities, misuse personal data, and carry out other illegal activities across national borders. These crimes make investigations more difficult and require close cooperation between country. Between 2024 and 2026, Angola undertook major structural, legislative, and operation reform in this area. This includes modern all Our legal framework thought the National Cyber Security Strategy 2024-2028, the Cyber Security Law, and the Law of Combating the Dissemination of Fake News on the Internet. To put this framework into practice, Angola established the National Cyber Security Council, the National Cyber Security Center, and the Government Data Center. However, new forms of crimes are emerging from the misuse of technology powered by artificial intelligence. This includes deepfake, automated fraud, and sophisticated cyber attacks. At the multilateral level, We highlight Angola's form access to the United Nation Convention against the cyber crime in October 2025. The progress made in ascent, the possibility of ascending to the Budapest Convention and our strong regional commitment to the African Union's Malabo Convention. In conclusion, The Republic of Angola reaffirms its readiness to work in partnership with the UNDC and all the states' parts. Together, we must turn international law into an effective safeguard for the environment, cyberspace, and the sustainable development of our nation. I thank you, Mr. President.


President [2:09:42]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the distinguished delegation of Peru. You have the floor.


Peru [2:09:48]:

Thank you very much, President. For Peru, combating crimes that affect the environment is a national priority and a shared responsibility. In the Amazon Basin, illegal mining and logging are destroying ecosystems, threatening the lives and livelihoods of our communities. and fuelling criminal networks that operate beyond our borders. The convergence of these crimes with drugs trafficking, trafficking in persons, asset laundering and corruption requires an international response to match this threat. Peru has actively engaged with this matter and in its capacity as chair of the intergovernmental expert open-ended expert group has contributed to promoting the study of the subject in order to forge common results, responses. We must now translate these efforts into tangible decisions. And therefore, we call for the support for the resolution presented for Brazil, Peru, and other countries, and to promptly engage in negotiations in order to prepare an additional protocol to the convention. What we need is a legally binding instrument that will further strengthen international cooperation and make it possible to close the gaps that criminal networks use in order to evade justice. Our aim is to equip authorities with more efficient tools to investigate these crimes, to dismantle structures and to deprive them of illicit proceeds. Protecting the environment equally requires tackling criminal economies that benefit from its destruction. Furthermore, we wish to restate our country's commitment to the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, which Peru signed in Hanoi. We welcome the progress that is being made towards its prompt entry into force and capacity building to ensure its effective implementation, in particular in order to preserve and obtain digital evidence and to enhance cooperation among authorities. President, Peru will continue to exercise an active role to ensure that our commitments can be translated into effective instruments leading to tangible results to curb transnational organized crime. Thank you very much.


President [2:12:06]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Zimbabwe. You have the floor.


Zimbabwe [2:12:14]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, the continuous evolving organized crime environment, which has seen traditional criminal activities being complemented with technology, complex financial arrangements, and cross-border networks, presents serious challenges globally. Among these, as acknowledged by most of us here, include cyber-enabled fraud, cryptocurrency-related crimes, business e-mail compromise, digital identity theft, online grooming, crimes that affect the environment, and illicit trafficking of minerals. These developments demonstrate the need for law enforcement and criminal justice institutions to continually enhance and adapt their investigative, prosecutorial, and technological capabilities. In response to these challenges, Zimbabwe is strengthening its response to environmental and mineral-related organized crimes. The law enforcement and other security agencies work with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to combat organized poaching and wildlife trafficking, while specialized police units address illegal gold and diamond smuggling. The national prosecuting authority similarly prosecutes organized syndicates involved in the trafficking of gold, lithium, ivory and protected flora. It is in light of these experiences that Zimbabwe finds merit in the initiatives for an additional protocol focusing on crimes that affect the environment. Finally, Mr. President, many thanks for the expert group work and for the report we received today. I thank you.


President [2:14:12]:

Thank you very much for your statement. I now give the floor to the delegation of South Africa, followed by Brazil. South Africa, you have the floor.


South Africa [2:14:23]:

Thank you, Mr. President. We know that criminal networks exploit rapid technological advances to enable anonymity, illicit financial flows, and evasion of law enforcement. This convergence highlights the urgent need for collective action, modernized legislation, and stronger investigative capacities to ensure technology serves justice rather than crime. Given the cross-border nature of cybercrime, South Africa urges the ratification of the Cybercrime Convention. South Africa notes with concern the escalating threat of global fraud, which undermines economic growth and diverts resources from development. Rising levels of cyber-enabled financial crime have prompted legislative reforms in South Africa, including amendments to our Public Service Act and regulations aligned with the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. South Africa has reinforced these measures through the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, underscoring South Africa's commitment to addressing fraud as a transnational organized crime. Mr. President, transnational organized crime continues to evolve, posing serious threats to security, economies, and the environment. While wildlife trafficking is criminalized under our legislation, gaps in the international framework remain, particularly in addressing crimes that affect the environment. South Africa therefore supports an additional UNTOC protocol on crimes that affect the environment to strengthen international cooperation to do investigations, prosecutions, money laundering, asset recovery, and the dismantling of criminal networks. This is particularly important given the cross-border nature of environmental crime, such as wildlife trafficking, illegal mining, mineral trafficking, and waste trafficking, increasingly driven by sophisticated and adaptive syndicates. Effective enforcement depends on timely evidence sharing, tracing and recovery of criminal proceeds, and cooperation among countries of origin, transit, and destination. COP13 provides an opportunity to consider how these challenges can be better addressed within the international criminal justice framework, and how a dedicated protocol can complement existing instruments and strengthen our collective capacity to prevent, investigate, prosecute and disrupt the crimes that affect the environment. Mr. President, South Africa also notes with concern the rising of clandestine synthetic drug laboratories, which fuel drug trafficking and cause hazardous waste disposal, contaminating our ecosystems and undermining sustainable development. The convergence of drug trafficking, environmental degradation, and organized crime reinforces the urgent need for a comprehensive international response, further underscoring the case for an additional protocol. Domestically, South Africa remains concerned about rising gender-based violence, extortion-related crimes, including the construction mafia and gangsterism, which terrorize communities and undermine safety. In response, our government has established multidisciplinary teams to strengthen resilience against organized crime. In conclusion, South Africa affirms its commitment to the UNTOC and strengthening cooperation with our international partners in combating transnational organized crime. Thank you, Mr. President.


President [2:18:05]:

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I give the floor to the delegation of Brazil, followed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Brazil, you have the floor.


Brazil [2:18:13]:

Thank you very much, President.

I listened carefully to previous speakers from all regions. and I can associate myself with many of the points that were raised. But what moves me to intervene here are the testimonies of people who are not in this room, whom I met in side events, indigenous leaders, community leaders. You know there is a world outside the VIC, and they remind us of the cost, the human cost of environmental crimes. I would like to thank Peru and France for their leadership on the IEG and express my appreciation to Carlos Sanchez for his great chairship of the intergovernmental expert group. The IEG has concluded its work and fulfilled its mandate. Building on that work, Brazil has submitted draft resolution L4 together with a broad group of co-sponsors to launch negotiations on an additional protocol addressing trafficking in wild flora and fauna, illegal mining and waste trafficking. We firmly believe that the text before us reflects a balanced but firm approach. We have engaged constructively throughout this process, incorporating many suggestions and constructive proposals put forward by delegations. The expert group has concluded its work. We should now move to the next stage of our collective efforts. Reopening under a different format or label discussions that have already been carefully considered would not be a productive use of our time and resources and would risk delaying the response that the scale and urgency of environmental crimes demand. If we agree that environmental crimes constitute a serious transnational threat, and I think we do agree, then we should have the confidence to begin negotiations. Negotiations do not predetermine the outcome. They simply provide member states with the opportunity to shape that outcome together. The objective of this process is clear. The draft resolution is focused. The negotiation of a legally binding protocol to strengthen international cooperation against environmental crimes is long overdue. For this reason, I encourage all delegations to support this endeavor. Thank you very much.


President [2:21:07]:

Thank you for your statement. Now I call upon Iran.


Iran (Islamic Republic of) · Deputy Foreign Minister [2:21:09]:

BASHAR SAHEBI, IRANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Thank you, Mr. President. Organized criminal groups have repeatedly demonstrated their capacity to adapt faster than many legal and institutional responses. Digital technologies have accelerated this transformation and enabled traditional forms of organized crime to merge with new methods, platforms, and financial.

Tools.

Organized fraud, cyber-enabled criminal activity, and trafficking in cultural property illustrate the diversity of serious crimes that may fall within the scope of the ONTAC when the requirements of the Convention are fulfilled. We believe that the Convention already provides a broad and flexible legal framework for addressing many of these forms of transnational organized crime. Our first priority should therefore be to use existing tools effectively before creating new legal structures. Mr. President, organized fraud deserves particular attention. Criminal networks increasingly exploit artificial intelligence, digital identities, online platforms, and cross-border financial mechanisms. Effective responses require stronger investigative capacities, cooperation among competent national authorities, and responsible conduct by digital service providers whose systems are exploited for large-scale criminal activity. Trafficking in cultural property is another serious concern for Iran as a country with an ancient and extensive cultural heritage. Criminal networks exploit multiple transit points, opaque markets and difficulties in provenance verification. Prevention, investigation, recovery and return require practical international cooperation. Crimes that affect the environment falling within the scope of the ONTAC likewise demand serious attention. Iran considers ONTAC a sufficiently comprehensive and flexible framework where the convention's threshold criteria are met. The immediate priority should be stronger domestic implementation, interagency coordination, specialized training, and access to necessary technology and equipment. At the same time, not every emerging criminal phenomena automatically requires a new international legal instrument. Before considering additional norms or protocols, states should identify actual legal and operational gaps, examine underlying causes, assess whether existing tools are being fully utilized. Mr. President, the needs of developing countries must remain part of this discussion. Effective responses require practical capacity, and such capacity cannot be built where access to technology, equipment, or cooperation is restricted. Iran, therefore, supports an evidence-based balanced, pragmatic, and consistency-driven approach to new forms and dimensions of transnational organized crime, with full respect for national sovereignty and domestic legal system. I thank you, Mr. Chair.


President [2:25:03]:

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I give the floor to the delegation of Japan, followed by Sudan. Japan, you have the floor.


Japan [2:25:12]:

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Freedom, economic prosperity, and open societies cannot flourish where crime rules. And the rule of law cannot stop at national borders. Online fraud is not merely a financial crime. It threatens the security of our citizens. undermines trust in digital society and allows criminal networks to accumulate wealth and power. Those proceeds can fuel further criminal activities. Japan knows this threat firsthand. In 2025, lost its form specialized fraud in Japan reached a record of 324 billion Japanese yen, approximately 2.1 billion US dollars. Some cases are linked to scam compounds in Southeast Asia, involving Japanese nationals as well. This is not simply a domestic law enforcement challenge. It is a test of international order we seek to uphold. Japan believes that international cooperation must defend a simple principle. Every country must be able to protect its people under the rule of law. National sovereignty cannot mean helplessness in the face of crime operating from abroad. Nor can international cooperation be effective if countries lack the capacity to act. Our task is to build an order in which national actions and international cooperation reinforce one another. Scam compounds have affected more than 80 countries. Online scams are not just financial crimes. Scam compounds are also linked to cybercrime, human trafficking, forced labor, money laundering, torture, and corruption. They also pose risks of terrorist financing and proliferation financing. Given these serious concerns, Japan considers scam compound a major threat to regional and international peace and security. This principle guides Japan's response at home Japan is strengthening investigations against the mastermind and the manager behind fraud networks. It is working with financial institutions and the digital reform platforms to disrupt fraudulent communications and cut off illicit financial frauds. Across border, Japan is deepening police cooperation with partner countries. It has also contributed approximately 7 million US dollars to UNODC and the INTERPOL project to strengthen regional capacity, including the investigation of online fraud, analysis of digital evidence, and the trafficking of crypt assets. United Nations Asia and the Far East Institutions for the Prevention of the Crime and the Treatment of Offender, which called the UNAFE, operated by the Ministry of Justice of Japan, trains officials worldwide in transnational organized crime and international cooperation. Since 2020, fall, it has held ASEAN seminars on mutual legal assistance. These promote use of a model template for ASEAN MLAT request. These efforts are part of our approach to punish those who direct the crime, dismantle the systems that sustain them, and strengthen the ability of our partners to do the same, governments, law enforcement agencies, and the private sector must work together. Crime networks exploit gaps between our jurisdictions. We must close those gaps through practical cooperation and shared responsibility. This is also why Japan joined the United States and the United Kingdom in advancing the resolutions of strengthening the crime prevention and the crime justice responses to prevent and combat fraud, adopted by the consensus at the 37th CCPCJ. Excellency, to defend the freedom, economic prosperity, and open society, we must ensure that the crime finds no refuge across the border. Japan will work with all partners to make the rule of law a force that protects every society and leaves no country alone in this fight. Thank you very much.


President [2:30:38]:

Thank you very much to the delegation of China for their statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Sudan, followed by the United States of America. And I would like to remind delegations, please, to deliver their statements in keeping with the speaking time limit as agreed. Sudani up the floor.


Sudan [2:31:00]:

President, distinguished colleagues, crimes against the environment imperil the environment and human populations. We have adopted legislation in order to evaluate the environmental impact of crimes and water pollution also. So we have legislation to protect fauna and flora. The challenges that we face are cross-border and transnational in nature. We are seeing trafficking of mercury, lithium, timber and coal in our country. And we're also seeing trafficking of hazardous waste. All of these crimes feed corruption and cause displacement of the population in Sudan. We are members of the BAL and Palermo conventions that we have also predating legislation, we have decided to focus on three priority areas: stepping up our response to crime, working on asset recovery and strengthening our competent authorities in countering transnational crimes that affect the environment. We call for capacity building for transit and destination countries. We need to view environmental crimes as particularly serious crimes. The environment belongs to all of us. And Sudan, despite the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in, continues to engage in international cooperation to combat these crimes. Thank you.


President [2:33:20]:

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I give the floor to the United States of America, followed by Fiji. United States.


United States of America [2:33:28]:

Mr. President, thank you very much for the floor. Colleagues, the United States shares the concerns of many parties in this room about the serious harm caused by environmental crime. However, the United States rejects the premise that a new protocol on so-called crimes that affect the environment is necessary. First, UNTOC is already sufficient to facilitate international cooperation against crimes related to the use, possession, and trade of wild flora, fauna, and minerals. It provides states with important and effective tools to dismantle wildlife trafficking networks, timber trafficking rings, and illegal mining operations. including criminalization of participation in an organized criminal group, asset confiscation, extradition, and mutual legal assistance. Second, the only genuine legal gap identified by this body's intergovernmental expert group is variation in the level of domestic environmental protection for some species. Even this gap is more effectively and efficiently addressed directly through changes to UNTOC's parties' domestic law, rather than through a new protocol to UNTOC. The US Lacey Act is a model for solving this issue. It allows the United States to prosecute any individual who imports, exports, transports, sells, receives, acquires, or purchases species taken in contravention of US or another country's domestic law. As long as states parties designate natural resource crimes as serious crimes per Article 2B, the UNTOC tools can already be applied. There is no need for a protocol. What is missing here is not international law. What is missing is the political will and implementation. We encourage protocol proponents to focus their attention on strengthening domestic legislation to make the use of the UNTOC tools already available. This body cannot afford to spend its limited time and resources on a process unlikely to succeed. We would also note that the champions of this protocol have not contributed a single dollar to the mechanism for the review implementation of the UNTAC, a mechanism that this body has very much agreed as urgently needed. Given the UN system's current financial constraints, member states should ask why would we negotiate and resource an entirely new instrument when existing agreed upon mechanisms remain unfunded. A new protocol would require new negotiating sessions, new reporting obligations, and new secretariat costs raised by member states already stretched thin, while the tools we already have sit underutilized. We understand that this endeavor could cost about $300,000 a week. We are not convinced that the proponents of this effort are in a position or have clearly committed to providing large amounts of resources that this effort will entail. This body's energy and resources belong in implementing the UNTAC, not drafting an unnecessary legal instrument which serves as a distraction, diverting resources for domestic implementation to instead negotiate a duplicative legal instrument. I'd also like to add that the magnitude of what is being proposed through this proposed resolution is not commensurate with the minimal amount of time that was allotted for negotiation. The United States is clear-eyed about this fact and shares the view with many other states that more debate is needed. To this end, we filed common-sense amendments that provide us with better options to tackle these important crimes and better reflect the positions of this room. And let us remind ourselves the result from the experts groups, no recommendations for a protocol. In the meantime, we have sufficient tools available now that are in and of themselves effective and sufficient to address these important crimes. We encourage all parties to consider our amendments, which are reasonable, practical, and have followed all the appropriate procedures. Thank you, Mr. President.


President [2:37:56]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Fiji. You have the floor.


Fiji [2:38:02]:

Mr. President, Fiji highlights the interconnected nature of crimes that affect the environment.

And other forms of criminality, such as money laundering, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and fraud.

And we recognize the need for an additional protocol to the UNTOC on crimes that affect the environment.

Fiji reiterates the value and importance of the existing legal framework for promoting intercooperation.

International cooperation to tackle organized crime, and the complementary nature of an additional.

Protocol on crimes that affect the environment falling within the scope of the Convention. Fiji's national development plan places environmental sustainability, the sustainable management of natural resources, and the rule of law and.

Security at the center of Fiji's development. Environmental crime deprives the state of revenue and resource owners of benefits and erodes governance.

As a small island developing state and a large ocean state.

Our endemic species have been trafficked to markets on the other side of the world, affecting our local and indigenous communities, which depend on the integrity of our forests, reefs and oceans.

Not only for livelihood, but for the well-being of future generations.

Where a species is taken from Fiji and the crime is detected in a distant market, a harmonised criminal law.

Basis for mutual legal assistance.

Extradition and asset recovery is exactly what Fiji needs to effectively implement our national laws and address transnational crimes. An additional protocol would build on frameworks Fiji already implements, including our proceeds of crime and mutual assistance and extradition legislation, and the work of our financial intelligence authorities. Fiji supports the process towards an additional UNCOP protocol on crimes against the environment.

I thank you.


President [2:39:47]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the representative of the Organization of American States. Apologies. I have the United Kingdom on my list. United Kingdom, you have the floor.


United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [2:40:01]:

Thank you, Chair. Two years ago, member states adopted the first ever UN resolution dedicated to fraud. recognizing a growing global threat that causes significant harm and increasingly enables wider organized criminality. Today, we welcome the significant progress made since that important milestone. Over the last two years, fraud has become firmly established on the international agenda. What was once a relatively under-discussed crime type within multilateral fora is now recognized as a significant transnational organized crime, requiring coordinated international action. A major milestone was the UNODC-Interpol Global Fraud Summit earlier this year. The United Kingdom was proud to support and fund this initiative, which brought together governments, law enforcement, and the private sector from around the world. and generated practical commitments to strengthen cooperation, information sharing and collective action. The challenge now is translating those commitments into tangible operational outcomes. We have also been pleased to support UNODC's work to develop practical toolkits and guidance to help Member States strengthen their legislative frameworks operational responses and public-private partnerships against fraud. Importantly, leadership on this issue is no longer coming from a small number of countries alone. We have welcomed the increasing engagement of Member States across regions, alongside the adoption of further fraud-focused resolutions and recommendations at this year's CCPCJ and COP. However, the work is far from complete. Criminal groups continue to exploit new technologies, operate across borders, and target victims at an unprecedented scale. As we look beyond the first two years since the adoption of this first fraud resolution, the UK encourages all member states to take greater ownership of this agenda and help drive the next phase of international action. The UK remains committed to supporting this work, but tackling a crime of this scale and complexity will require sustained leadership, innovation and commitment from all regions. Thank you very much.

Chair.


President [2:42:43]:

Thank you very much for your statement. I now give the floor to the delegation of the Organization of American States.


OAS [2:43:08]:

Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, I take the floor on behalf of the OAS to share with this distinguished body our specific concerns regarding a growing threat to our hemisphere. Illegal mining has emerged as one of the most pressing manifestations of transnational organized crime in Latin America. Its consequences extend far beyond environmental degradation. It generates substantial illicit revenue, fuels corruption and money laundering, and equips criminal organizations with resources to expand their territorial control and influence over public institutions. Illegal mining involves more than the lawful extraction sorry, the unlawful extraction of natural resources. It represents the direct infiltration of organized crime into the formal economy, particularly within the mining sector that serves as a primary economic pillar for several countries in the region. Illicit gold contaminates legitimate supply chains via intermediaries, front companies, fraudulent documentation, and compromised oversight mechanisms. Once integrated into commercial markets, its origin becomes increasingly difficult to trace, allowing criminal proceeds to be laundered through seemingly legitimate businesses and financial transactions. Consequently, this creates a profound distortion of market rules. Criminal operators evade taxes, environmental obligations, labor protections, and regulatory requirements. They compete unfairly with legitimate enterprises, undermine responsible investment and reward corruption over compliance. The implications for democracy are equally grave. Where criminal organizations control mining territories, manipulate local economies, intimidate communities, or corrupt public officials, they directly challenge state authority. They erode institutional integrity, restrict civic freedoms, and weaken the capacity of democratic institutions to serve the public interest. The social costs are particularly severe for indigenous people and local communities who face environmental destruction, violence, forced displacement, and loss of sustainable livelihoods. Confronting this challenge requires a coordinated strategy. We must strengthen financial intelligence, conduct parallel financial investigations, and recover criminal assets. Additionally, we need tighter controls on heavy machinery, illicit gold supply chains to disrupt corruption and money laundering. Finally, this effort demands closer domestic and cross-border cooperation among law enforcement, financial intelligence units, prosecutors, environmental authorities, and the private sector. The OAS helps countries strengthen these capacities through technical assistance focused on financial investigations, asset recovery from illegal mining, and tracking illicit financial flows. The Palermo Convention provides an essential framework for confronting the transnational criminal networks behind these activities. Our challenge is to translate that framework into coordinated action that targets not only the perpetrators, but also the financial enablers, commercial intermediaries, and corrupt networks that allow criminal proceeds to enter the legitimate economy. Thank you, Chair.


President [2:46:36]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of INTERPOL. You have the floor.


INTERPOL [2:46:45]:

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates.

Thank you.

Transnational organized fraud has evolved into a global technology-enabled criminal enterprise. Moving beyond isolated scams, criminal networks increasingly operate as structured service-based businesses, exploiting digital platforms and cross-border connections to the fraud victims at scale and with growing speed and sophistication. Fraud as a service, combined with increasing misuse of artificial intelligence, synthetic identities and deepfakes, expanded both the reach and profitability of these crimes. Interpol 2026 Global Financial Fraud Threat Assessment underscored this trend. Between 2024 and 2025, fraud-related notices and diffusions increased in every region. rising by 69% in Europe, 60% in Africa, and 47% in Asia and the Pacific. Responding effectively means looking beyond individual offences to the networks, financial structures, and digital infrastructure that sustain organised fraud. This was the message of the Global Fraud Summit jointly organized by Interpol and UNODC in March this year, which called for organized fraud to be recognized as a transnational criminal issue and for stronger cooperation among law enforcement, financial intelligence units, and other stakeholders. Interpol is building on this momentum by translating commitments into operational action. In September 2026, with support from the United Kingdom, Interpol launched Operation Shadowstone, a dedicated task force to dismantle scam center networks by targeting their infrastructure, arresting syndicate members, protecting victims, and disrupting illicit financial flows. The task force brings together expertise in victim identification, financial investigations, private sector intelligence service providers. To date, 22 member states and Europol have joined, covering Southeast Asia, the Americas, Africa, the Gulf, Europe, and the Pacific. Our operational experience demonstrates the value of this approach. Operation IHE6, conducted across 40 countries in 2025, recovered USD 40 139 million in illicit funds and assets linked to the cyber-enabled financial crimes. It showed that targeting offenders alone is not sufficient. We must also follow the money, dismantle the digital infrastructure, and disrupt the networks behind these crimes. Significant challenges remain, including the rapid cross-border movement of illicit proceeds. unequal investigative capacities, and gaps in information sharing. Interpol, therefore, encourages that parties to make full use of its secure communication platform and capabilities to strengthen real-time cooperation, systematically exchange actionable intelligence, and enhance joint efforts to identify criminal networks, disrupt their operations, and trace and recover illicit assets. Interpol remains committed to working closely with Member States to strengthen the international law enforcement cooperation and to turn these objectives of the Convention into concrete operational results. Thank you, Mr. Chair.


President [2:50:48]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in a video statement.


OHCHR [2:51:09]:

Excellencies, distinguished participants, I'm pleased to join you from Sydney. I wish to highlight concerns about the growing reclassification of organized crime as terrorism. At least 15 countries in the Americas have recently designated drug cartels and gangs as terrorists in order to apply more exceptional legal powers and defenses to them. This conceptual shift has led to some extraordinary human rights violations, including the United States's killing of 239 civilians in 71 military attacks on vessels at sea allegedly trafficking drugs. In my report that I present today to the General Assembly, I judge these to be crimes against humanity of murder. International standards appropriately distinguish between organized crime and terrorism. The Convention against Transnational Organised Crime defines organised criminal groups as those aiming to obtain a financial or material benefit. As explained by the United States itself during the drafting, this was intended to exclude political terrorism. At the same time, the General Assembly's authoritative declaration on measures to eliminate international terrorism of 1994 defines terrorism as serious crimes for political purposes, an approach taken also in many national laws and in my mandate's own 2026 model definition of terrorism. Like terrorism, criminal groups may use serious violence to instil fear in people or coerce governments. However, Most drug cartels and gangs use violence to protect profits and markets and their freedom to operate, not to pursue political objectives. Even where groups control territory, provide services, or influence politics, these serve ultimately commercial, not political, aims. Terrorism and organized crime are distinct harms that require different legal responses to ensure that measures are strictly necessary and proportionate to the nature of each threat and to respect human rights. To be sure, organized drug violence and drug misuse threaten the rights to life, personal security, and health. States must take all lawful and feasible measures to combat them. But the appropriate response is not to abusively escalate to a counter-terrorism paradigm. Rather, states should strengthen organized crime laws, law enforcement and intelligence capacities, financial investigations, anti-corruption measures, international legal cooperation, and controls on military-grade weapons and ammunition. States should also reduce incentives to join criminal groups, including through poverty reduction and economic development, public services provision, and responsive governance. States must also finally slash drug demand and profits through better drug prevention, education, and public health initiatives, harm reduction strategies, and evidence-based legalisation of drugs. Thank you.


President [2:54:26]:

Thank you very much. And now I give the floor to the coalition against... Apologies, to UNEP.


UNEP [2:54:40]:

President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, UNEP welcomes the opportunity given to contribute to our collective efforts to combat crimes that affect the environment in the framework of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. UNEP welcomes the role played by the Convention in combating crimes against the environment. The Convention offers an important framework for international cooperation to combat transnational organized crime. UNEP would like to share its environmental expertise and to support the work that's carried out in the framework of the Convention. We believe that better consideration of environmental issues in ONTAC's work could lead to effective responses to crimes that affect the environment. UNEP stands ready to pursue the One UN approach within the UN system based on strengthened coordination between different UN system bodies. Crimes that affect the environment are a complex and cross-cutting challenge to which no one entity can respond alone. Coordinated action is required that brings together the mandates and competencies of different UN system bodies, namely in the area of environmental protection, crime prevention and criminal justice, human rights, development, and gender equality. In the context of ONTOX, we are of the view that continued cooperation between UN system bodies and related partners could be very useful in supporting Member States' efforts to combat crimes that affect the environment. UNEP stands ready to work hand in hand with Member States and on top partners, as well as the entire UN system, in moving forward with these objectives. By joining up our efforts, we can better protect the environment. strengthen the rule of law with respect to the environment and protect communities and populations that depend on the environment. Thank you.


President [2:57:21]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the delegation of Ukraine.


Ukraine [2:57:26]:

Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, I would like to provide some context for our discussion today, drawing attention to the devastating consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the need to examine its links with transnational organized crime. Last night, Russia attacked the historic center of Kyiv with an Iskander ballistic missile equipped with a cluster warhead. As of 22 October 2026, approximately 120 Ukrainian settlements have been almost completely destroyed, with another 150 to 300 destroyed or severely damaged. More than 10 major cities have suffered extensive destruction, while thousands of other settlements have sustained damage, mostly in areas where people use Russian for cultural and private communication. The city of Mariupol stands as one of the most tragic examples of this destruction. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ruins. The streets that once were full of life have become graveyards. Russia must be held accountable for its crimes against Ukrainian people. We believe that ONTOC and UNODC should explore the nexus between transnational organized crime and war of aggression, including the use of criminal networks to facilitate sanction evasions, illicit arms trafficking, terrorism, extremism. strengthening international cooperation. This area is essential to ensure accountability and prevent organized crime from enabling further aggression. I thank you, Mr. Chair.


President [2:59:14]:

Thank you very much. Now I give the floor to Coalition Against Illicit Economies. You have the floor.


Speaker 74 [2:59:20]:

Thank you, Mr. President, distinguished colleagues. I'm here on behalf of the Cities and Regions United for Biodiversity, Coalition Against Illicit Economies. We, the mayors and regional governors of the member cities and regions of the coalition Cities and Regions United for Biodiversity, Coalition Against Illicit Economies, gathered in Vienna on the occasion of the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, declare the following: Our coalition was established under the leadership of the Mayor's Office of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2024. Today, it brings together 19 cities and regions from 11 countries, with the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime as its technical secretariat. We recognize that illicit economies, including illegal mining, illicit logging and deforestation, wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing, the trafficking of waste, and drug trafficking are amongst the most significant drivers of biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and the erosion of governance. Their harms fall hardest on the ecosystems and livelihoods that depend on them, especially affecting communities in vulnerable circumstances. As the level of government closest to our communities, cities and regions are often the first to confront these harms. Yet our knowledge and experience remain an essential and underused resource in national and multilateral policy. We, therefore, declare our shared conviction that there can be no effective protection of biodiversity without confronting the illicit economies that drive its destruction, and no effective response to organized crime without addressing its environmental and social dimensions. We commit to strengthen cooperation, collective learning, and joint action among our members. including tools to monitor the influence of organized crime at the local level and the environmental harm it causes. We resolve to place the protection of ecosystems at the center of our responses, integrating environment, governance, and security, and addressing corruption as a key enabler of those crimes. We call for the meaningful inclusion of local and regional governments, together with civil society, academy, indigenous peoples, and local communities in the work of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, its Conference of the Parties, and all of its subsidiary bodies, including the design of any future protocol to respond to crimes that affect the environment. This coalition is willing and determined to provide support. And we call upon state parties and the United Nations on drugs and crime to recognize the environmental and social impacts of organized crime and to support the participation of subnational government in the future discussions and around implementation of this convention. We reaffirm our determination to speak with a united voice, and we keep this declaration open to the adherence of other cities and regions that share its purpose. We hereby attach a complete version of the Joint Declaration, Cities and Regions United for Biodiversity Coalition against Illicit Economies, duly signed by the member cities and regions of the coalition. This document affirms our shared and collective commitment to protecting biodiversity and confronting the illicit economies that threaten our ecosystem and communities. Thank you.


President [3:03:02]:

Thank you very much, and I now give the floor to the Indigenous Councils of the Municipality of Villa Garzon, Putumayo. You have the floor, sir.


Indigenous Councils of the Municipality of Villa Garzon, Putumayo [3:03:14]:

Good day, distinguished President, distinguished delegations. My name is Brian Moyano Yonoso, representative of the Inga people of Villa Garzon, Municipality of Putumayo from Colombian Amazon bordering Ecuador. Our territory is undergoing a wave of crime. In 2022, Putumayo was the focus of 77% of an increase in coca production for all of Colombia. Armed groups set the prices, they decide who cultivates and who sells. and they exercise control using violence. Trafficking routes in paste base and precursors towards Ecuador cross our rivers and our roads against our will and against the mandates of our authorities. When the coca market crashed, armed groups focused their attention on illegal gold mining. These groups are now warring over gold collected from our rivers. They are dredging every river using machinery and contaminating the rivers in our territories with mercury. Indigenous families who engage in artisanal mining in order to sustain themselves have been left without a livelihood. And it is this loophole that armed groups are using in order to recruit our youth. Coca, gold, extortion, and recruitment are all part of the same criminal economy. The state response is one of eradication and military pressure, whereas crop replacement agreements fail to be upheld. This does not serve to disarm the groups. It leaves the communities caught between armed control and forced eradication. We, the indigenous peoples, are not only victims. With our own guardians, with our sense of spirituality, and with our own economies, we have curbed the expansion of these crimes where the state is unable to reach. Our territorial land management and monitoring knows what is happening before anybody else does and allows us to act in order to protect our territory. To that end, we support a protocol on crimes that affect the environment, and we call for the following three things. First of all, recognizing illegal gold mining that is being waged by armed groups as an organized crime that affects indigenous peoples, and to include our authorities in the prevention, monitoring, and control of mercury. Secondly, for UNODC to incorporate indigenous territorial monitoring in its reports on coca and gold and to share this data with us. And thirdly, to consider coordinated economic alternatives to replace illicit crop cultivation instead of crop eradication. You will not have safety or security without the indigenous peoples. Thank you.


President [3:05:44]:

Thank you very much for your statement, and I now give the floor to the delegation of Amazon Watch. You have the floor.


autonomous territorial government of the Wampis nation [3:06:00]:

Thank you very much, President. I'm a representative of the autonomous territorial government of the Wampis nation in Peruvian Amazon, where 65 communities govern together and have been caring for their home for over 7,000 years. There is no safety or security without indigenous peoples. Currently, there is an environmental and humanitarian crisis in the Amazon caused by illicit economies and organized crime, which are fueling global markets in gold, cocaine and other products. Those who buy and sell these products are far from us, but we are the ones who are affected by the consequences. The militarized response does not serve to reduce crime, quite the contrary, it increases violence waged against the indigenous communities. When Operations are launched without dialogue or coordination with us. We are caught in the middle, causing more fear. More weapons and arms have not led to more safety or security for our peoples. Indigenous peoples are key protagonists when it comes to territorial safety and security. Our governance and monitoring systems are able to function where the state is unable to exercise its control. Our guardians are able to monitor our territories, to to report and protect the woodlands and the rivers, many times without resources and at the risk of their own lives. That is why protecting these peoples and their advocates is protecting the jungle, the woods, the climate and life. What we are calling for is simple and fair, that we are consulted. Indigenous peoples must be consulted in the policies relating to crime, safety and security. You cannot design a strategy for our territories without our involvement. That is why we support a protocol against the crimes that infect the environment, with indigenous participation, a protocol that recognizes our knowledge, that respects our decisions and which strengthens what is already functioning on the ground. To conclude, safety and security in the Amazon region will not be imposed on us from outside or through greater violence. It must be shaped with those who live in the Amazon, who know the Amazon, and who uphold it. Thank you very much.


Speaker 79 [3:08:08]:

Muchas gracias.


President [3:08:09]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Born Free Foundation. You have the floor.


Speaker 81 [3:08:22]:

Chair, distinguished delegates, I'm making this statement on behalf of the Born Free Foundation, a founding member of the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime. Crimes that affect the environment are among the fastest growing forms of transnational organized crime, yet the current tools available to national enforcement authorities remain inadequate. The tools available under the UNTOC can currently be triggered when offences meet a custodial threshold, but in many jurisdictions, crimes that affect the environment fall below that bar, creating gaps that organised criminal networks exploit with impunity. This is why we urge States Parties to support the launching of a formal process to negotiate a dedicated protocol on crimes that affect the environment. Resolution L4 proposes to initiate the negotiation of a protocol covering illicit trafficking in wild fauna and flora, including timber and timber products, illegal mining of and illegal trafficking in minerals and precious metals, and illegal trafficking in waste. These are not niche concerns. They are a serious threat to rural livelihoods, public health, and the safety and prosperity of local communities, as we have heard from the last two or three speakers. They fuel corruption, undermine governance, and accelerate the decline of species already under immense pressure and the ecosystems of which they are a part. As highlighted in the Nature Security Assessment published by the UK Government earlier this year, the resulting damage to biodiversity and ecosystems also threatens resilience, security and prosperity at a national level. A protocol would explicitly recognise crimes that affect the environment as falling within the scope of the UNTOC. It would strengthen cross-border cooperation, enable financial investigations and asset recovery, harmonise legal approaches and reduce the safe havens that currently allow traffickers to operate across borders and continents. These are precisely the tools that the front-line enforcement bodies say they need, and they align with the ambitions set out in many national strategies. This conference of the partners to the ONTUC offers a rare opportunity to move beyond the extensive discussions, gap analyses and evaluations of crimes that affect the environment that have taken place to date. By supporting resolution L4, States Parties can begin to build a coherent, modern and enforceable international framework capable of confronting such crimes at scale. And with these crimes estimated to cost the global economy hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars annually, the negotiation of a robust protocol would clearly represent a cost-effective approach. So we urge all delegations to seize this moment, support resolution L4, and commit to negotiating a robust protocol that reflects the urgency of the crisis and the expectations of citizens worldwide. Thank you, Chair.


President [3:11:35]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Amazon Underworld. You have the floor.


FENACOCA · President [3:11:53]:

Thank you very much, President. Honorable representatives, my name is Marcelo Odicio. I am the president of the Native Federation of Kakataibo Communities, FENACOCA, in the Peruvian Amazon. The Kakataibo people live in the central forests of Peru. We are more than 10 communities who care for more who care for many hectares of tropical woodlands, as we have done for centuries. Many of our people, moreover, live in a situation of voluntary isolation. Today, I'm here with you in Vienna to report to this international community of the violence that is being waged against our territories, our ancestral territories, as a result of trafficking in drugs, illegal mining, and trafficking in land. Six of our leaders were killed in the last six years. To protect us from these threats, we have established our own indigenous guards as a means of territorial self-protection. We are responsible for safety and security in our territories based on our knowledge, our community practices, and our culture, despite the constant threats. What we are dealing with is transnational organized crime, and it operates in the loopholes that are left behind when states fail to act together. You hold within your hands the possibility of closing these gaps, recognizing crimes against the environment as serious crimes, together investigating them, and following the money up until its origins. We must make rapid shared progress. The Amazon is very close to reaching a point of no return in terms of its deterioration, and that will affect all of humankind. And you must do this with us together. Indigenous peoples are authorities in our territories, and no response to this crime will be legitimate or effective if we are not recognized as such. We call for the prompt beginning of negotiations to lead to a protocol against crimes that affect the environment. This is a shared responsibility for our countries, our peoples, and future generations. Each year without this protocol is a further year of gains for these networks. You have the responsibility of adopting the protocol, and the time is now. Thank you.


President [3:14:14]:

Thank you very much for your statement. I understand that we have requests for the right of reply. And so I will give these delegations who have requested a right of reply an opportunity to take the floor, and would kindly request them to restrict themselves to the speaking time limit for delivering their statements. And I first give the floor to the United States of America.


United States of America [3:14:40]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President. And once again, I'm taking the floor to remind ourselves that we're here to engage on the agenda items that are before us in a non-politicized, expert exchange fashion. And in that regard, I feel compelled to respond once again briefly to the intervention, the recorded intervention from the gentleman from Sydney. And I would just like to state here for the record that President Trump has made clear that he will not tolerate any threat to the lives of American citizens. And to that end, the United States has designated certain criminal organizations as foreign terrorist organizations per U.S. executive order 14157. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to take down these dangerous networks to protect Americans. Any discussion on this action is completely beyond the scope of this forum. I thank you, Mr. President.


President [3:15:40]:

Thank you very much for your statement, and I now give the floor to the Russian Federation. You have the floor.


Russian Federation [3:15:59]:

President, distinguished colleagues, the Russian Federation is compelled to respond to the latest provocation by the Ukrainian delegation, which once again has tried to derail this conference. We call on all participants to refrain from falling for this trap and to stay within the rules of procedure. With respect to issues of war and peace, these are decided and will continue to be decided in another place by the respective authorities. Thank you.


Speaker 88 [3:16:35]:

Muchas gracias.


President [3:16:36]:

Thank you very much for your statement. We have heard all speakers on the list under agenda item 3. And so I would now like to invite the Conference to take up its consideration of agenda item 4, entitled "International cooperation, with particular emphasis on extradition, mutual legal assistance and international cooperation for the purpose of confiscation and the establishment and strengthening of central authorities." In order to facilitate its deliberations, the Conference has before it the following documentation: A report prepared by the Secretariat, entitled: Activities of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to promote the implementation of the provisions on international cooperation in the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; contained in document CT/OC/COP/2026/6. A note by the Secretariat transmitting the reports on the meetings of the subsidiary bodies of the Conference, including the reports of the 16th and 17th meeting of the Working Group on International Cooperation, held in Vienna from 28th through 30th of May 2025. and on the 2nd and 3rd of July 2026, respectively, contained in document CT/OP/2026/5, and a conference room paper by the Secretariat, which includes the summaries by the Chair of the joint constructive dialogues on technical assistance and international cooperation held on the 2nd of June of 2025 and the 15th July 2026, respectively, following the conclusions of the 16th and 17th meetings of the Working Group on International Cooperation, contained in document CT/OC/COP/2026/CRP.3. I have the honour to invite Mr. Demosthenes Christopoulos, Chrysikos, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer and Secretary of the Working Group on International Cooperation, to introduce this item to the Conference. You have the floor.


UNODC · Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer [3:19:26]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President, and following your brief introduction to agenda item 4, let me add from a substantive perspective that since the last 12th session of the conference, UNODC has continued to promote the implementation of the Organized Crime Convention with a focus on fostering international cooperation as well as with an objective to support States parties in their efforts to enhance regional and interregional information exchange on organized crime and the effectiveness of international cooperation mechanisms to tackle transnational organized crime. For example, UNODC has continued to work in the following areas involving international cooperation in criminal matters. First, supporting intergovernmental processes in which international cooperation was discussed as a policy and legal priority. Second, supporting the development of tools aimed at promoting the implementation of the provisions on international cooperation of the convention. Third, promoting and supporting judicial networking to combat transnational organized crime. And fourth, supporting exchanges among practitioners involved in international cooperation in criminal matters. In relation to the first area, the support of intergovernmental processes in which international cooperation was discussed as a policy and legal priority, UNODC continued to maintain channels of communication and synergies between the Working Group on International Cooperation of the Conference of the Parties and other intergovernmental bodies and entities, such as the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Expert Meeting to Enhance International Cooperation under the UN Convention against Corruption. And here, the thematic focus was mainly the links between corruption and organized crime. But also with the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice last year with the main thematic focus addressed in both the Working Group on International Cooperation and the Commission, the smuggling of commercial goods. With regard to the support of the work of the Working Group on International Cooperation, more information will follow shortly with feedback provided by one of the chairs of the intercessional meetings of the Working Group on International Cooperation. Now, with regard to tools facilitating cooperation between central authorities, UNODC continue to develop and expand the knowledge management portal, SERLOK, which is a platform that comprises several databases containing legal resources on organized crime and terrorism, and has also as a cross-cutting theme in order to classify the information the international cooperation in criminal matters. In accordance with one of the recent resolutions of the Conference, Resolution 11/1, UNITIC published a full publication on joint investigations, outlining legal and practical issues that could arise in the implementation of Article 19 of the UNTOC. UNITDC also published an issue paper on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international cooperation in criminal matters and challenges encountered, as well as good practices and lessons learned in the aftermath of the pandemic. Let me also add that UNITDC has also prepared an issue paper on And actually, in cooperation with Glasgow University, prepared an issue paper on assessing the impact of the UNODC model law, the revised model law on mutual assistance in criminal matters. This revision of this model instrument took place in 2022, and this assessment of the impact of the model law has been contained in an additional conference room paper brought to the attention of the conference under the symbol CT0C/COP/2026/CRP.5. In 2025, UNODC also upgraded the UNODC Mutual Legal Assistance Request Writer tool with a view to ensuring its compliance with UN security standards, including those related to secure configuration and network infrastructure integration. Moreover, in accordance with resolution 12/1 of the conference, UNODC has also worked to develop a toolkit for central and other competent authorities involved in international cooperation in criminal matters, which is to be used as a guidance for these central authorities on how to develop digital case management systems, how to use the technology and innovative tools in the area of international cooperation. and how this use can be also promoted in the context of capacity building efforts. Immediately after this session of the conference, UNODC will also be in a position to publish the second edition of the UNODC manual on mutual legal assistance and extradition as mandated by resolution 10/4 of the conference. UNODC continued to provide, upon request, technical assistance in the field of international cooperation in criminal matters, with a focus on the promotion of the implementation of the pertinent provisions of the UNTAC. Particular reference is made in this context to capacity building initiatives relating to the efforts to build the legislation on the national cooperation criminal matters in Somalia. And these efforts paved also the ground for the accession of the country to the Convention, the recent accession of the country to the Convention. Other states parties to which technical assistance was provided in this particular field of international cooperation included Bosnia and Herzegovina, Uganda, and Vietnam. In relation to promoting and supporting judicial networking to combat transnational organized crime, UNODC continued to support several international networks and their focal points to facilitate cooperation in criminal matters and also to support the effective exchange of information and expertise in the area of building trust and creating contacts among practitioners. In relation to supporting exchanges among practitioners involved in international cooperation in criminal matters, the Office, with the support of the Government of China, organized and conducted in March 2026 an informal expert group meeting on international cooperation in criminal matters. This meeting was held for the first time outside Vienna at the headquarters of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. It brought together practitioners and experts from central authorities of 19 countries, five regional judicial networks, and one intergovernmental organization. And the meeting enabled the exchange of experience and views among the experts. and facilitating dialogue on practical aspects of international cooperation in criminal matters, capacity building and technical assistance priorities. Thank you very much for your attention.


President [3:27:10]:

Thank you very much for your statement, Mr. Chryssikos. Before opening the floor for statements, I'm pleased to announce that Her Excellency, Angela Vigliotta Meja, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic, who served as Chair of the Working Group on International Cooperation at its 17th session in 2026 and of the subsequent joint constructive dialogue, will provide some remarks about the work of the Working Group and introduce its reports. The Ambassador will deliver the statement also on behalf of the co-chairs of the 16th meeting of the Working Group in 2025. Your Excellency, the floor is yours.


Dominican Republic · Ambassador and Permanent Representative [3:28:05]:

Very good afternoon and thank you very much.

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to address you today in my capacity as chair of the last meeting of the Working Group on International Cooperation of the COP/UNTOC, which took place in July 2026.

In my effort to briefly

summarize the work of the Working Group on International Cooperation since the 12th session of the Conference,

I will deliver my statement also on behalf of Ms. Hanna

Stenberg from Sweden and Mr. Carlos Alberto Sanchez del Aguila from Peru, which co-chaired

the meeting of the Working Group on International Cooperation in May 2025.

As said, the Working Group on International Cooperation met since the last session of the COP twice, in May 2025 and in July 2026. In particular, the 16th meeting of the Working Group on International Cooperation was held from 28 to 30 May 2025, back to back to the 16th meeting of the Working Group of Government Experts on Technical Assistance. At that meeting of the Working Group on International Cooperation, the working group, taking into account the 25-year anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, assessed the impact and added value of the convention in the area of international cooperation in criminal matters in light of the anticipated work under the mechanism for the review of the implementation of the Organized Crime Convention and the protocols thereto.

The working group also discussed ways to strengthen international cooperation to effectively prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute

organized criminal groups making use of corruption. The meeting also facilitated an exchange of good practices in international cooperation to freeze and confiscate proceeds of crime in the form of virtual currencies. Last but not least, international cooperation to address the links between transnational organized crime and terrorism was also discussed. The 17th meeting of the Working Group on International Cooperation was held on 2 and 3 July 2026. At that meeting, the working group built on another important anniversary, namely the 20-year anniversary of the working group on international cooperation itself and its future relevance under the mechanism for the review of the implementation of the convention. The agenda of the meeting also revolved around best practices and challenges in combating trafficking in cultural property, as well as the applicability in this regard of the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime the continuation of discussion on international cooperation to address the links, in some cases, between transnational organized crime and terrorism, with a focus on non-discussed recommendations from the 16th meeting held in May 2025. The recommendations adopted by the Working Group on International Cooperation at its 16th and 17th meetings are annexed to together with the recommendations of the meetings of the working groups of the conference that were held in the intercessional period to draft resolution CTOP/COP/2026/L.7, submitted by the President of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime at its 12th session.

With this last note, I would like

to thank you very much for your attention, and I look forward to fruitful deliberations under agenda item 4. Muchas gracias, President.


President [3:31:40]:

Thank you very much, President. Thank you very much for your statement. I will now open the floor for delegations on this agenda item. And the first speaker on my list is the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. You have the floor.


Iran (Islamic Republic of) [3:32:04]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Under this agenda item, and as a major obstacle for an effective international cooperation, I have the honor to deliver this joint statement on behalf of a cross-regional group of member states, namely the Republic of Belarus, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of Nicaragua, the Russian Federation, and my own country, the Islamic Republic of Iran. We express serious concern and categorical rejection of unilateral coercive measures, especially those with extraterritorial application. These measures are illegitimate, unlawful, and in contravention of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. and constitute a violation of international human rights law. They represent flagrant interference in the sovereign affairs of states, violate the principle of sovereign equality, and undermine multilateralism and the principle of cooperation that underlines United Nations activities. Such measures are a characteristic feature of the so-called rule-based international order being imposed on the international community by a limited number of countries. These so-called rules are being invented and used to justify illegitimate measures against states that formulate their own policies in accordance with international law. The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crimes rests on cooperation among states. UCM undermines this foundation by obstructing the ability of affected countries to implement the convention and, where applicable, its protocols, and to participate effectively in collective efforts to prevent and combat transnational organized crime. Their consequences extend beyond targeted countries, weakening international cooperation and the collective capacity to respond to criminal threats. Mr. President, UCMs compounded by secondary sanctions and overcompliance by financial institutions businesses and other stakeholders systematically restrict and in some cases block access to financial services, essential equipment, relevant technologies, technical assistance and capacity building. They obstruct cooperation among competent authorities including mutual legal assistance and hinder the implementation of national and regional programs against transnational organized crime. These restrictions disproportionately affect countries, deepen capacity gaps, and prevent affected states from adequately addressing serious criminal threats. The exclusion of affected countries from essential assistance and cooperation constitutes blatant discrimination. International cooperation and technical assistance should be provided upon request in accordance with the needs and priorities of requesting states. and without discrimination, and must not be politicized or obstructed by UCMs. Despite repeated calls by the international community for their urgent lifting, these unlawful measures continue to have devastating and sometimes even life-threatening consequences for countries and their peoples. They exacerbate humanitarian and economic challenges, threaten food, energy, and financial security, and severely violate basic human rights. States that are adopting, imposing, manipulating, or maintaining or promulgating UCMs shall be held accountable for the tragic consequences of such illegal and illegitimate actions. We support the relevant positions of the Group of 77 and China, reflected in its ministerial declaration adopted in New York in September 2026, firmly rejecting UCMs and calling for their immediate elimination. In this context, We underscore the importance of the upcoming International Day Against Unilateral Coercive Measures, observed annually on 4 December and established by the UN General Assembly resolution last year. Mr. President, we call upon States to strongly condemn these destructive UCMs and the associated lack of accountability. We call upon States imposing or maintaining them to immediately, unconditionally, and completely lift all such measures We further call upon all the states neither to recognize nor to apply these measures and to take effective administrative or legislative measures to counteract their extraterritorial application of reflex. We call upon member states to strengthen effective and depoliticized international cooperation in criminal matters. We further request UNODC to furnish States Parties with disaggregated and statistical reports on technical assistance and capacity-building projects, investment and services in different countries, as well as on impediments and barriers arising from UCMs that obstruct international cooperation in criminal matters and the delivery of assistance. In conclusion, Mr. President, our shared commitment to combating transnational organized crimes requires solidarity, sovereign equality, and effective cooperation. The continued imposition of illegal and illegitimate UCMs undermine that commitment. Their immediate, unconditional, and complete lifting is essential to strengthen implementation of the Convention and protecting the well-being of our people. I thank you for your attention of this joint statement. I thank you, Mr. President.


President [3:37:53]:

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of the Philippines. And let me please remind all delegations to please speak within the agreed speaking time limit. Thank you very much.


Philippines [3:38:06]:

Mr. President, the Philippines believe that international cooperation must be measured by the justice it makes possible. Our national experience has taught us a hard lesson. Even when a fugitive is found, justice can remain out of reach. Returning persons lawfully charged with offences covered by this Convention remains a challenge. Delayed responses and cumbersome procedures can give suspects time to move, allow evidence to disappear and place criminal proceeds beyond recovery. For victims, these delays mean another day of uncertainty, another day without redress and another day without waiting for justice. The convention gives us a framework to act. The Philippines proposes four practical priorities. First, enhance the predictability of the lawful return of fugitives. We encourage further use of the convention's extradition provisions, particularly where no bilateral treaty exists. subject to the convention's conditions and applicable national law. Early consultation, clearly defined requirements, and complete requests can help ensure the cooperation results in timely proceedings before competent courts. Second, establish police cooperation as a shared commitment. Each request should receive prompt acknowledgement, substantive follow-up, and clear guidance when additional information is required. Urgent cases should have reliable points of contact and mutually agreed response targets. Interpol's National Central Bureau secure I24/7 network, databases, and notices facilitate cross-border investigation. We encourage their broader use in accordance with Interpol's rules and data protection safeguards, alongside the formal legal process required for extradition and the submission of admissible evidence. These tools fulfill their potential when authorities act on the information they receive. Third, equip central authorities with the capacity to deliver effectively. This requires trained personnel, secure systems, and effective coordination with police, prosecutors, financial intelligence units, and diplomatic services. Updated directories, nationally validated guidance, and document checklists can help ensure that requests are complete and actionable. Early consultations regarding mutual legal assistance can preserve evidence and prevent avoidable delays. Fourth, pursue criminal proceeds along fugitives. Financial investigation should continue while surrender proceedings remain pending, with asset tracing supporting timely freezing, confiscation, lawful asset return, and victim compensation. In this regard, the Philippines welcomes Interpol's introduction of the Silver Notice, a new tool for identifying and tracing assets linked to criminal activity across borders. By helping authorities locate illicit wealth and uncover financial connections, it can support the dismantling of the financial structures that sustain criminal works. finance further offenses and enable fugitives to evade justice. We encourage member countries to consider the value of silver notices as part of our collective effort to dismantle transnational criminal networks. As access expands and the tool becomes available to all members, we urge countries to make active use of it and strengthen cooperation among police, financial intelligence unit, prosecutors, and asset recovery authorities. Information obtained should support timely legal action to freeze, confiscate, and recover criminal assets in accordance with national law, applicable international obligation, and Interpol's rules. Our objective must to deprive criminal networks of the resources that allow them to survive and rebuild. Mr. President, our efforts must uphold sovereignty, judicial independence, and human rights. They must also reflect reciprocity. The responsiveness we expect from others must be the responsiveness we demonstrate ourselves. Behind every request is a community seeking safety, a victim seeking redress, and a justice system relying on our cooperation. Let us provide those communities, victims, and institutions with a response through timely action and with reason to believe that justice can cross borders as well. Thank you.


President [3:43:41]:

Thank you very much. I now give the floor to the Republic of Korea.