Routed through new hubs and expanded criminal networks, cocaine trafficking has made a dramatic comeback following an initial slowdown caused by the emergence of COVID-19, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said on Thursday in a hard-hitting new report.
Some 464,000 people across the world were victims of homicidal violence in 2017, more than five times the number killed in armed conflict over the same period, UN researchers said on Monday.
Despite the challenge of trying to decriminalize centuries-old smuggling routes and cross-border terrorism, the countries of the Sahel are showing progress in building “credible, functioning justice systems.”
That’s according to Pierre Lapaque, who represents the vast African region for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), who told Matt Wells the deaths of four peacekeepers in Mali on Wednesday, highlighted the on-going dangers.
There is a “growing problem” of organized crime syndicates corrupting politics and politicians worldwide, especially at a local level.
That’s according to Catalina Uribe, Programme Officer for UN partner organization, the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, otherwise known as International IDEA.
The Swedish-based institute organized a panel discussion at UN Headquarters this month on how to protect politics by deterring the influence of organized crime.
Ms Uribe spoke to Matthew Wells.
Duration: 6’13”
