Crime

Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message to the tenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, held today:

The General Assembly decided on 14 August to postpone a meeting of a committee tasked with drafting a global treaty to combat online crimes, noting with concern current COVID‑19 pandemic restrictions.

Collective responses to counter-terrorism and organized crime are needed now more than ever before, as the COVID-19 pandemic poses new challenges to vulnerable States, United Nations officials told the Security Council in a videoconference meeting on 6 August.

The local de facto authorities in Yemen have officially communicated to the United Nations their approval for a UN-led technical assessment and repair mission on board the oil tanker Safer off the coast of Ras Isa.  The experts will advise on any remaining measures that would be needed to avoid a catastrophic oil spill.

Wildlife crime threatens both biodiversity and human health, according to a new United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report.  It finds that many illegally trafficked animals may spread diseases to people, and the pangolin — a possible source of COVID-19 — remains the most trafficked mammal in the world.

In June, 921,000 people were forced to leave Burkina Faso, making it the site of one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises.  Increased insecurity has also made humanitarian access more difficult, with the number of people in need of assistance jumping to 2.9 million people, from 2.2 million in January.

In Kenya, the World Food Programme (WFP) has launched cash transfers and nutrition support for nearly 280,000 people struggling to survive from the impact of the virus on informal settlements in Nairobi.

Ahead of Mother’s Day — observed in May in nearly 130 countries — the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is spotlighting ways that COVID-19 has recast motherhood and overwhelmed health facilities.  It is calling on Governments to help pregnant women receive check-ups and delivery care.

Anti-coronavirus measures are exposing victims of human trafficking to further exploitation and limiting their access to essential services, a new analysis released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said today, noting also the emergence of new opportunities for organized crime to profit from the crisis.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Antonia Marie De Meo of the United States as Director of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute.