UN convention against transnational crime to come into force in September

The United Nations convention against transnational organized crime has received its 40th ratification, enabling it to come into force this September as a united international response to the growing problem.

"Criminal groups have embraced today's global economy and the sophisticated technology that goes with it. Until recently, our efforts to combat them have remained very fragmented," United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said, praising the first international instrument against transnational organized crime.

By ratifying the Convention, countries commit themselves to adopting a series of crime-control measures, including the criminalization of participation in an organized criminal group, money laundering, corruption, and obstruction of justice. It also includes extradition laws, administrative and regulatory controls, law-enforcement; victim protection; and crime-prevention measures.

"With the entry into force of the Convention, the international community will have demonstrated the political will to counter the worldwide challenge of organized crime by adopting a corresponding global response," Mr. Costa said.

UNDOC noted that the completion of the negotiations of the Convention in less than two years reflected the recognition by the world community that this form of crime is growing in scale, scope and degree of sophistication. It shows the commitment to search for adequate international legal mechanisms for preventing and combating this problem, the agency added.