The 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is taking place from 19 to 23 October 2026 at the headquarters of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, at a critical time for the future of the convention.

The UNTOC is the UN’s central legal instrument for responding to organized crime. However, organized crime continues to grow in strength and cause increasing harm, despite almost all countries in the world signing up to the instrument. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) has long expressed concerns about the implementation and impact of the convention. State parties are recognizing these challenges and could make crucial decisions about the future of the convention during the conference.

The GI-TOC will use this opportunity to explore ways to improve the implementation of the UNTOC and develop more effective responses to changing forms of transnational organized crime. Our activities will include an interregional discussion on the future of the convention, as well as various events on environmental crimes involving partners from the Congo Basin and the Amazon. We will also address the crucial role of the rule of law and democratic approaches in combatting organized crime, and consider ways to enhance responses and pursue perpetrators of organized child sexual exploitation.

Key GI-TOC events and engagements:

The Congo Basin and transnational organized crime: Gold, critical minerals and the networks threatening forests and communities

19 October 2026 | 14:00–14:50 CEST | FLYER| M3 and online

Organized by the Democratic Republic of Congo and co-sponsored by the African Union, the European Union, France, and the GI-TOC in partnership with members of its Countering Organized Crime in Central Africa civil society network

This event will redefine forest crime in the Congo Basin as transnational organized crime, which is increasingly driven by the illicit exploitation of gold and critical minerals, and threatens forests, livelihoods, human rights and the climate. Drawing on new evidence from the GI-TOC and its partners, it will explore how mineral exploitation, wildlife trafficking, illegal logging and criminal violence converge across the region, revealing the interconnected nature of these markets.

The role of democracy and the rule of law in the fight against transnational organized crime

20 October 2026 | 09:00–09:50 CEST | FLYER | M3 and online

Organized by Switzerland and co-sponsored by the African Union, the European Union, Guatemala, Ghana, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the GI-TOC

This event will include perspectives from the Latin American and Caribbean Group on Security and Democracy (GLACSED), which was launched in Guatemala in 2026. The GLACSED, chaired by Carlos Alvarado, former president of Costa Rica, with the financial support of Switzerland and the European Union, aims to strengthen regional dialogue and promote evidence-based, democratic public security policies in Latin America.

Where next for the UNTOC? An inter-regional discussion on the future of the Palermo Convention

21 October 2026 | 09:00–09:50 CEST | FLYER | M7 and online

Organized by the GI-TOC and co-sponsored by the African Union, the Organization of American States, Mexico, the European Union and Canada

This event will focus on what different states and stakeholders from various regions believe is necessary to reinvigorate and reposition the UNTOC in order to help states disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal networks. One of the UNTOC’s aims is to eliminate safe havens for transnational criminal groups, but this goal has yet to be achieved. This event will explore ways to meet this objective by gathering the views of a cross-regional group of speakers.

Organized child sexual exploitation: Pursuing perpetrators and enhancing responses

21 October 2026 | 09:00–09:50 CEST | FLYER | M2 and online

Organized by New Zealand and co-sponsored by the GI-TOC

This event will explore how different stakeholders can further adapt their responses to apply an organized crime lens to the field of organized child sexual exploitation and abuse. Participants will also discuss how they can enhance perpetrator and criminal network identification – in a data-privacy protected way – in liaison with trusted partners, and how a broader suite of counter-organized crime tools can be adapted to address issues of organized child sexual exploitation and abuse and child sexual abuse material.