On 11 November, Mark Shaw, the executive director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), spoke at the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo about how organized crime is at a crossroads, as part of the UNU Conversation Series. The conversation, with UNU Senior Vice-Rector Professor Aya Suzuki, took place one day after the launch of the 2025 Global Organized Crime Index.

‘When launching the Index, we wanted to kick off a series of conversations around the world to discuss the results of this report and to use it to stimulate evidence-based policy and greater resilience to organized crime,’ said Shaw. ‘It is great to have the first one here at UNU, since the United Nations has a key role in mobilizing global action against this common threat.’

Shaw highlighted the strong partnership between the GI-TOC and the UNU, and the potential for further collaboration. ‘Organizations like the UNU and the GI-TOC have an important role to play in carrying out research and analysis on organized crime as well as injecting fresh ideas into policy debates,’ he said. ‘It is also vital to promote innovation, including the effective use of technology, big data and artificial intelligence in the fight against crime. And we need to bridge the work of academic institutions, think tanks and civil society organizations, and the UN community.’

Stay tuned for information on further thematic and regional discussions about the Index around the world.