SEE-Obs

Violent extremism and organized crime: Thematic series

Violent extremism and organized crime

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Posted on 30 Jun 2025

Author(s): Ruggero Scaturro, Giorgio Fruscione

Eco-Solve, UN Reform, UN-TOC Watch, UNTOC

A new Protocol for the UNTOC? A guidance note for the 1st meeting of the new Intergovernmental Expert Group on crimes that affect the environment

A new Protocol for the UNTOC?

...In October 2024, Brazil, France and Peru tabled a resolution at the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) for a new int...

Posted on 27 Jun 2025

Author(s): Ian Tennant, Simone Haysom, Tiphanie Chapeau

EUR-Obs

Child soldiers of Europe: Why is organized crime increasingly recruiting minors?

...On the evening of 15 January 2025, a masked 15-year-old gunman entered a Turkish restaurant in Hamburg, Germany, and opened fire on a 49-year-old man. The shooter fled the scene, pursued by the victim...

Posted on 26 Jun 2025

Author(s): Daniel Brombacher, Ruggero Scaturro

Global Organized Crime Index, APA-Obs

Beyond legacy weapons: South East Asia’s illicit arms trade is diversifying 

...Arms trafficking in South East Asia has diversified considerably in recent years, moving beyond the legacy weapons from past conflicts that have long saturated the region, and increasingly intersectin...

Posted on 25 Jun 2025

Author(s): Michael E. Picard

Gold Watch, AR-Obs

Illegal mining and gold supply chains in Ecuador

A golden crisis

...In recent years, Ecuador’s gold sector has transformed dramatically. Once a largely informal livelihood, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has evolved into a criminally exploited industry...

Posted on 25 Jun 2025

Author(s): Marcena Hunter

Crime & Conflict, EAS-Obs

Crossing the line: Will Lithuania’s ICJ case against Belarus set a precedent for state accountability in human smuggling? 

...On 19 May 2025, Lithuania filed a case against Belarus at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of breaching the UN Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migra...

Posted on 18 Jun 2025

Author(s): Maria Khoruk

ESACD, ESA-Obs

ESACD – Final report and action plan

ESACD - Final report and action plan

...The Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs (ESACD) was formally launched in 2023 to address the serious and multifaceted challenges arising from the escalating illicit drug trade in the regio...

Posted on 16 Jun 2025