At this year’s United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, governments will come from around the world to discuss the future of peacekeeping. A particular thorn in the side of peacekeeping has been transnational organized crime (TOC). In 2024, 52 per cent of UN Security Council resolutions referenced at least one illicit market, most often in relation to their impact on conflicts.

The challenge is felt across conflict settings, for example in Colombia, Afghanistan, the DRC, Libya, Mali, Myanmar and Haiti. The impacts of organized crime in conflict are economic, political and social, critically impacting efforts to decrease violence, establish good governance and advance peace. Addressing transnational organized crime, though recognized as a key threat, has never had an easy policy fix. And in the current geopolitical climate, the stakes are higher, yet the challenges are greater.

This side-event, hosted by the United Nations Association of Germany and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), will explore evolving developments of the TOC-conflict nexus, discuss UN responses in the context of peace operations, and generate ideas for more effective peace interventions.