The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (Abbreviated “UNODC”) was founded in 1997 through the consolidation of the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention. Mainly operating from field offices across the world, the UNODC advises and assists member states in the conflict against illicit drugs, crime, and terrorism. Promoting justice, security, and health constitute the UNODC’s main goals. The agency provides services ranging from aiding governments in promoting drug prevention and implementing criminal justice reform to supporting parties investigating terrorism cases.

The agency undertakes this effort by concentrating on three core principles;

Rule of law: Legal code is the foundation of providing security and justice.

Policy and trend analysis: Understanding and solving the issues of drugs and crime through accurate data and information.

Prevention, treatment and reintegration, and alternative development: Proactive policies and measures, rehabilitation, and special action efforts to curb the effects of drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism on individuals.

The UNODC focuses its efforts through several methods such as field-based projects, reinforcing knowledge through research and data to aid nations in making informed decisions, and helping nations achieve stronger legal actions that counter-act these issues. 

Global cooperation is a key element to fighting these issues due to their international nature. In order to eradicate human trafficking, smuggling drugs, and terrorism, multi-state collaboration is required. Unless concentrated international efforts are realized, such issues will emerge elsewhere. Since this year’s Model UN conference includes a committee that directly addresses counter-terrorism, UNODC will place more emphasis on drugs and crime.  

Info About the UNODC

• https://www.unodc.org/
• https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/index.html
• https://www.unodc.org/mexicoandcentralamerica/en/romex/mision.html
• http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=ST/SGB/2004/6 (Secretary General’s bulletin on the formal organization of the UNODC. You are not required to read it in its entirety but it provides interesting insight)

• http://www.who.int/violenceprevention/about/participants/unodc/en/

UNODC Efforts

• http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/alternative-development/peru---success-stories.html
• https://www.unodc.org/islamicrepublicofiran/en/history-and-achievement.html

• http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/8522/UN+anti-drug+body+to+return+to+Seychelles+to+combat+narcotics%2C+tackle+prison+reform

UNODC Resources

• https://www.unodc.org/documents/AnnualReport2016/2016_UNODC_Annual_Report.pdf(UNODC’s 2016 report. Again, you are not required to read most of it. Pages 16-18 are particularly useful in explaining UNODC’s depth and are not difficult to digest.)
• http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/66/Issues/drugs/drugs-crime.shtml (Information from the General Assembly’s 66th Session that describes the growing threat of drugs and crime.)
• http://www.un.org/en/events/drugabuseday/