Cooperation Key to Combating Wildlife Trafficking in Amazon, Cyberscams in South-East Asia, Third Committee Told, as Trillions Lost to Organized Crime
Regional and global cooperation is essential to combating organized crime — from smuggling of firearms and narcotics in the Caribbean and wildlife trafficking in the Amazon to cyberscams in South-East Asia — delegates told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today.
The United Nations assists countries in tackling these offenses. “Prevention is at the core of our mandate,” said Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director of Policy Analysis and Public Affairs in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Highlighting UNODC’s interventions with Member States over the past year, he said it trained 3,485 officials worldwide in countering trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. Their assistance in 241 investigations resulted in identifying and assisting hundreds of victims of trafficking in persons. In 2023, the Office continued to assist 40 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central Asia and Eastern Europe in countering firearms trafficking, and supported 104 States in addressing threats posed by maritime crime.
On crimes that affect the environment — including wildlife and forest crimes — the Office assisted 2,400 criminal justice officials to prevent such crimes, including through support to over 100 wildlife crime investigations. In this context, he spotlighted the release of the third edition of the World Wildlife Crime Report and the launching of the first Global Analysis on Crimes that Affect the Environment.
What delegates say:
- Environmental crimes the world’s fourth-largest criminal activity
- $1 trillion lost to cyber criminals
- Prevention, harm reduction more effective than ‘war on drugs’
In the ensuing debate, many speakers underlined the need for developing countries to receive adequate technical assistance, capacity building and technology transfers. They also highlighted various initiatives to meet those needs.
The representative of Jamaica, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), highlighted a direct correlation between the prevalence of gun crimes and trafficking in narcotics “due to the many shared routes that facilitate the parallel flow of drugs and illegal firearms through our borders”. Of particular concern is the increasing flow of synthetic drugs — such as cocaine and methamphetamines — and their growing consumption by young people. At the Summit of the Future, States recognized the importance of solving complex global challenges through the use of emerging technologies. However, he cautioned, “these opportunities also extend to perpetrators”, allowing them to considerably scale up the operations and impact of their criminal activities. CARICOM seeks to counter the proliferation of cybercrimes in the region by providing cybersecurity specialists and law enforcement practitioners specialized in cyber crisis management, he added.
Stressing that 2.7 million of his country’s population are without Internet access, the speaker for Haiti said that the limited connectivity has produced an “unfortunate paradox”. While women have less access to social networks than men, they suffer more cyberattacks on their privacy rights and attempts at trafficking. Moreover, criminal gangs broadcast images of killings, rapes and theft on those networks with total impunity, traumatizing a population “already reeling from day-to-day violence”, she said, underlining the need to bring education on proper Internet use and corresponding legislation in Haiti up to speed.
“It is clear that punitive policies have not led to the achievement of our goals,” stated Mexico’s delegate, recognizing the link between drug trafficking and the diversion of weapons. An estimated 500,000 weapons enter Mexico annually, and “every one of them represents a direct threat to peace”, he warned, urging the international community to increase import and export controls and ensure accountability to combat the diversion of weapons.
South America has experienced the significant transnational impacts of environmental crimes, speakers from the region said, with Brazil’s delegate citing an increased presence of organized crime in the Amazon that has expanded illegal mining and trafficking in wildlife and flora. “Environmental crimes are now the fourth largest criminal activity in the world,” he pointed out, noting the $1 trillion cost of illegal logging, fishing and wildlife trafficking. In response, Amazon region countries adopted the Belém Declaration on environmental crimes. Spotlighting the link between money laundering and wildlife trafficking, he said over 40 per cent of countries lack legislation to prosecute the crime and called for additional protocols to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) to address the gap.
Environmental crimes generate pollution and biodiversity loss and contribute to climate change, jeopardizing governance, security and public health, said Colombia’s speaker. To counter the scourge, his country will host the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16). “Only coordinated action will allow us to halt crimes against species, deforestation, illegal mining and other grave environmental crimes,” he asserted.
In a post-pandemic era where things are “digital by default,” cybercrime, digitization and scams threaten to destabilize the region, said the representative of Singapore, speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Increased Internet access creates pathways for radicalization and terrorism, he observed, noting another human cost of digitization — trafficking victims of fake employment offers who travel overseas and are held captive. From 2023 to 2024, losses due to cybercrime amounted to $1.02 trillion globally, while “scam syndicates” were responsible for a $64 billion loss in the region alone. Accordingly, the countries have stepped up cybersecurity measures, including the ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy and establishing the Regional Computer Emergency Response Team in Singapore.
Underscoring the need to integrate human rights into criminal justice systems, Thailand’s delegate said her country has been working to support the wider implementation of the United Nations’ standards in crime prevention and criminal justice. In this regard, he pointed to her Government’s full implementation of the Bangkok Rules and the Nelson Mandela Rules to ensure safe and gender-responsive custody of prisoners through cooperation with all relevant parties. She welcomed the recent approval of the draft UN Convention Against Cybercrime at the reconvened concluding session of the Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime. She also spotlighted Bangkok’s adoption of the “drug users as patients” policy and the alternative development approach, as part of its focus on the health and social dimensions of drug use.
Pakistan’s delegate highlighted his country’s efforts to combat money laundering, including by setting up an independent financial monitoring unit to cooperate with other countries to combat money laundering and terror financing.
The representative of Iran said her country concluded numerous mutual legal assistance and extradition agreements with its neighbours to combat cybercrime. Tehran is actively engaged in the elaboration of a convention on countering the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes to help protect children and public morals. She also highlighted her country’s critical role in combating drug trafficking, pointing out that in the first six months of 2024, Iran confiscated 220 tons of various types of drugs originating in Afghanistan. “More than 4,000 law enforcement personnel have been martyred and approximately 12,000 injured in the course of the fight against drug trafficking,” she added.
“Crime does not exist in a vacuum”, said Ghana’s delegate, emphasizing that its root causes must be tackled through investment in social inclusion and poverty-reduction measures. To that end, she called on the international community to offer financial support to developing countries.
In that vein, the representative of Chad, speaking on behalf of the African Union, highlighted the role of United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFRI) on the continent. Advancing crime prevention and criminal justice in Africa is paramount, he stressed, noting the need to establish a more robust legal system to pave the way for greater resilience in the face of surging crime.
Highlighting the transnational nature of the illicit drug trade, Nigeria’s representative noted his Government’s efforts to partner with other countries and agencies that are actively countering the spread of drug trafficking globally. He added that Abuja’s cooperation with UNODC and drug control agencies has led to several high-level arrests and seizures. Also, to counter the adverse effects of cannabis cultivation on food security and environmental degradation — resulting from deforestation — his country has established an alternative development department.
However, Switzerland’s representative observed that previous efforts to build “a drug-free society have failed” as prohibitive policies have produced massive human rights violations and overcrowded prisons. In contrast, Geneva saw a substantial reduction in overdoses as well as HIV and hepatitis infections in the 1990s after moving from a repressive approach to a four-pillar policy focusing on prevention, therapy, harm reduction and regulation. In that vein, she called on States to renounce the counterproductive “war on drugs,” shift to harm reduction and strengthen cooperation.
The representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer, said the bloc is addressing the scourge of human trafficking — including sexual exploitation, child labour, forced marriage and organ removal — by strengthening partnerships with UNODC and also launched the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, which addresses the root causes of migration while enabling safe returns to countries of origin.