On 17 December, as part of the eleventh session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) held a side event in partnership with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the government of France, exploring trends, threats and impacts of organized crime and corruption.

H.E. Peter Burian, the Slovakian ambassador to the UN in Vienna and president of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), highlighted the slow progress and financial difficulties of the UNTOC review mechanism. The French ambassador to the UN in Vienna, H.E. Delphine Hournau-Pouëzat, outlined France’s priorities in the fight against organized crime and corruption, and welcomed the Global Organized Crime Index as a tool providing ‘precise and up-to-date’ information on these issues.

The GI-TOC’s managing director, Tuesday Reitano, presented the Index’s findings on corruption and the role of ‘state-embedded actors’, which the Index identifies as the most prevalent form of criminal actors. She provided statistical evidence outlining the role of corruption in fuelling criminality and hindering resilience, as well as the shifts that have occurred since the last edition of the Index was published two years ago.

GI-TOC senior adviser Ugi Zvekic then presented on how the issue of ‘organized corruption’ has been examined by the GI-TOC in the South Eastern Europe region, and how the concept can be applied to other regions in line with the Index’s findings.

Later in the day, Reitano provided an update on the Index’s findings regarding human smuggling at an event organized by the US government, opened by Maggie Nardi, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of State. Reitano highlighted the growing prevalence of this criminal market, as well as its evolving nature in response to political and policy changes.

Reitano also spoke on a panel organized by Transparency International UK, Besa Global and the GI-TOC on the nexus between conflict, corruption and organized crime. Ian Tennant, the GI-TOC’s director of multilateral engagement, joined a panel discussion on port security, crime and corruption, alongside representatives from Colombia, France, the US and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). He also participated in a panel discussion on antiquities trafficking with officials from Italy, Egypt, the UK and the UNODC.

The day before, on 16 December, Tennant delivered the GI-TOC’s plenary statement, outlining the Index’s findings on corruption and emphasizing the need for greater civil society engagement in the UNCAC and UNTOC review processes.