On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) will host a discussion on the multifaceted interactions between organized crime and human rights.

Organized crime poses significant direct and indirect threats to human rights. Some illicit economies, such as human trafficking, are implicitly recognized as human rights violations, while others, such as environmental crime and cybercrime, are increasingly seen as obstacles to the just enjoyment of human rights. In many contexts, the presence of criminal groups that control illicit markets has led to the exploitation of people and communities, with particular threats to the right to life, liberty and security. At the same time, responses to organized crime sometimes fail to take due account of human rights considerations. In all cases, vulnerable groups – including youth, indigenous peoples, women and the LGBTQIA+ community – are disproportionately affected and face displacement, discrimination and exploitation, as well as other violations of their fundamental rights.

Throughout 2023, the GI-TOC has worked to raise awareness of the convergences between organized crime and human rights agendas, and of community responses to mitigate the negative impact of organized crime on human rights. This event will reflect on these issues and disseminate the relevant tools developed by the GI-TOC and its Resilience Fund to the Vienna-based diplomatic and policy community. The event will be followed by a reception with the Vienna diplomatic community.