United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Committee Background 1 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Letter from the Chairs Dear distinguished Delegates, Welcome to the U nited N ations O ffice of D rugs and C rime (UNODC) Committee of the 2021 AZPSMUN UNODC assist s Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime, terrorism and transitio nal crime. We are looking forward to meet you all and hear your marvelous ideas and debates around solving international crisis and problems on spot. Each year, we , UNODC Chairs , get astonished by the delegates ’ performance s showing spectacular reasoning and debating, and we really expect to witness much more this year. We expect each delegate to come to the conference fully prepared with an understanding of his/ her position and willingness to forge agreements. The best way to prepare to represent your country well is to research a lot about your country and the opposing countries topic in a smart way. Form a strategy to take over the debate a nd assure that you are addressing all the points in a bolstered manner . It is highly recommended to understand how the Model Un ited Nations (MUN) sessions go like , whether it was held online or on - c ampus, and to sum up your ideas on finger - counted pages in order to have all your ideas in one place. During this conference you will have the opportunity t o speak out your different point of views but for the cost of staying out of your comfort zone. As your chairs, we will be moderating the committee sessions, and we are look ing forward to see ing the results of your exceptional researches. All the best, Omer Elsiddig Fatima Kashwani UNODC Chairs. 2 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Introduction to the committee History The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program a nd the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division in the United Nations Office at Vienna. UNODC was established to assist the United Nations in better addressing a coordinated, comprehensive response to the interrelated issues of illicit trafficking in and abuse of drugs, crime prevention and criminal justice, international terrorism, and political corruption. Purpose and Functions United Nation Office of Drugs and Crime's global efforts contribute to ensuring access to justice for all and preventing violence, making the world safer from drugs and crime, and promoting health and wellbeing, as well as increasing the knowledge base to make informed decisions through conferences and debates held across the world. It also reviews and analyzes the global drug situation, considering the interrelated issues of prevention of drug abuse, rehabilitation of drug users and supply and trafficking in illicit drugs. Mandate and power The UNODC is mandated by the Economic and Social Council as one of its functional commissions The Council has established the Commission's mandates and priorities, which include international action to combat nation al and transnational crime, including organized crime, economic crime and money laundering; promoting the role of criminal law in protecting the environment, crime prevention in urban areas, includ ing juvenile crime and violence. 3 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Introduction to the topic Organized Crime Organized crime is a category of transnational , national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit . Some criminal organizations, such as ter rorist groups , are politically motivated. Sometimes criminal organizations force people to do business with them, such as when a gang extorts money from shopkeepers for protection Organize d crime is considered to be a changing and flexible phenomenon. Many of the benefits of globalization such as easier and faster communication, movement of finances and international travel, have also created opportunities for transnational organized crimin al groups to flourish, diversify and expand their activities. Traditional, territorial - based criminal groups have evolved or have been partially replaced by smaller and more flexible networks with branches across several jurisdictions. In the course of an investigation, victims, suspects, organized criminal groups and proceeds of crime may be located in many States. Moreover, or ganized crime affects all s tates, whether as countries of supply, transit or demand. As such, modern organized crime constitutes a global challenge that must be met with a concerted, global response. Gangs may often be deemed as organized crime groups or, under stricter definitions of organized crime, may become disciplined enoug h to be considered organized A criminal organization or gang can also be re ferred to as a mafia, mob, ring or syndicate; the network, subculture and community of criminals may be referred to as the underworld. Some of affronts include torture, loss of wealth, violence, extortion, t heft, blackmail, physical harm and murder. The infiltration of these crime groups reach all over the world, from underdeveloped to developed countries with no immediate means of halting its progression 4 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Key Issues Terrorism Terrorism continues to pose a major threat to international peace and security and undermines the core values of the United Nations. In addition to the devastating human cost of terrorism, in terms of lives lost or permanently altered, terrorist acts aim t o destabilize governments and undermine economic and social development . Its motivations, financing, methods of attack and choice of target are constantly changing. Terrorists’ use of violence also illustrates the slow evolution of terrorist tactics and st rategies, including traditional assassination, bombings, arson, hostage - taking, hijacking, kidnapping, sabotage, the perpetration o f hoaxes and suicide bombings. More recent tactics can include unconventional forms of terrori sm, including nuclear terrorism and cyber - attacks. Terrorist a cts often defy national borders. O ne act of terrorism can involve activities and actors from numerous countries. Drug Cartel A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises in many countries. T he illegal drug trade is thought to be directly linked to violent crimes such as murder. This is especially true in all developing countries, such as Honduras but is also an issue for many developed countries worldwide. In the late 1990s in the United States the FBI estimated that 5% of murders were drug trafficking - related. In Colombia, drug violence can be caused by factors such a s the economy, poor governments and no au thority within law enforcement. Human Trafficking Human trafficking exists all around the world and is c ategorized into several forms. The term human trafficking is broad; The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines human trafficking as: “...the recruitment, transportation, transfer, or harboring persons by threats of force or coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, with payments to a person to obtain consent of a person having control over another for the purpose of exploitation.” There are three parts to human trafficking: 1. The act: the recruitment and transportation of the victi ms, 2. The means: how victims are controlled, whether that be through force or deception 3. The purpose: S lave L abor. 5 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Corruption in P rison Corruption in prisons can be in the form of both internal and external auditing, monitoring and inspection mechanisms. Furthermore, detention and imprisonment not only mean a severe limitation of the freedom of movement, but also a situation in which inmates depend on prison authorities for almost all of their day to day needs (imbalance of power), which requir es a height ened degree of s tate diligence in order to prevent abuse. At the same time, corruption can pose a severe security threat to the prison staff as well as the prison management. F or example, trafficking of mobile phones, drugs or weapons into and inside of prison walls in exchange for bribes, embezzlement of funds for necessary security, infrastructure measures, misappropriation of goods, or hiring practices which do not consider the qualification and integrity of candidates are all threats to the prison staff and the other inmates The Usage of the Dark Web in Organized C rimes The dark web is considered to be the most dangerous part of the internet. The dark web is different than the visible web that we know such as google, YouTube etc. Many criminals use the dark web to do illegal activities such as buying or sellin g illegal products, hiring hitm en , torturing individuals and much more. Many organized criminal groups use the dark web to do illegal activities. The usage of the dark web by organized groups had significantly increased in the last 5 years. 6 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Focusing questions Questions that will guide you when writing a position paper : How can the dark web encourage terrorism? How can the UNODC respond to the underground slave market ? What is the use of cyberspace in organized crimes ? How to reduce the amount of organized crimes as well as to spread awareness about the importance of the prevention of joining any organized crime organizations especially to children and teenagers? How can we relate or ganized crimes and gender crime s ? What are some ways that the dark web could be monitored, and the officials altered for any impending terrorist attack ? 7 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime ALL THE BEST DELEGATES!