United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (May 2014-April 2015)

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1 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (May 2014-April 2015) UNODC assists the African Union in the implementation of its Drug Control Plan UNODC has expanded its cooperation with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and their Member States, as well as various inter-regional organizations, including NEPAD, through the development and endorsement of multi-year Regional Programmes on Drugs and Crime namely, the Regional Programme for Eastern Africa , the Regional Programme for West Africa , the Regional Programme for the Arab States and the Regional Programme for Southern Africa , under the auspices of the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS), the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). UNODC is increasingly promoting cooperation not only within but also between sub-regions and regions, in particular the framework of the Container Control Programme, AIRCOP and the UNODC Contribution to the UN Integrated Sahel Strategy At the national level, UNODC has continued to support the development and implementation of a wide range of activities on illicit trafficking, criminal justice and drugrelated health care. In all these efforts, UNODC has continued to advocate at the highest policy level for the need to strengthen cooperation and inter-linkages between the continental, regional and national levels, in order to ensure effective drug control and crime and terrorism prevention within the African continent. 1. North Africa Under the framework of the Regional Programme on Drug Control, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Reform in the Arab States , UNODC continued to support governments in North Africa in their reform processes, particularly in the area of good governance and the rule of law within the context of the various political and social transitions in the region. Since April 2014, in close cooperation with the Tunisian Government, UNODC has continued to implement activities to support criminal justice reform and strengthen the rule of law. UNODC continued its assistance to national authorities in Egypt to establish effective mechanisms to combat money laundering, facilitate asset recovery, and their participation in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Review Mechanism. Cooperation with Egypt has been reinforced with two new projects on, respectively, the rehabilitation and reintegration of young male offenders and the criminal justice response to violence against women. Despite very challenging security conditions in Libya, UNODC has tried to continue to provide support to the country, in close consultation with the Government. UNODC has also continued to provide support to North African countries through regional activities in the area of criminal justice reform, for example in relation to the use of force in law enforcement. 2. West Africa

2 The UNODC Regional Programme for West Africa supports the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan against Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse , through a range of initiatives. A key UNODC initiative in support of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan is the West Africa Coast Initiative (WACI), which is jointly implemented by UNODC, DPKO, DPA/UNOWA and INTERPOL in three post-conflict countries, namely Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea-Bissau and will be expanded to Côte d Ivoire and Guinea. The WACI has contributed to improved national capacities, cooperation and intelligence gathering. In 2014, UNODC launched its Contribution to the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, developed pursuant to Security Council Resolution 2056 (2012). UNODC Contribution, mainly under the Strategy s security pillar, aims at supporting the development of accessible, efficient and accountable criminal justice systems in the countries of the Sahel, to combat illicit drug trafficking, organized crime, terrorism and corruption in the region. The Programme primarily focuses on Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. To ensure a comprehensive and sustainable approach to the challenges affecting the region, the neighbouring countries of the Maghreb region (Algeria, Libya and Morocco) have also been included as participating countries. Depending on the nature of the activity, linkages are made with other countries in West Africa, such as Benin, Côte d Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo, as relevant and necessary. UNODC s activities under this framework have been welcomed by the Special Envoy for the Sahel in her statement to the Security Council on 11 December The Network of West African Central Authorities and Prosecutors against Organized Crime (WACAP), created in 2012, has continued to support the strengthening of the capacities of central authorities and prosecutors specialized in organised crime and to facilitate regional and international cooperation. UNODC also continued to support Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger in the judicial aspects of counter-terrorism, though the Sahel Platform for Judicial Cooperation. Support was also provided to the first formal meeting of the Asset Recovery Interagency Network for West Africa (ARIN-WA) convened in November Linkages have been established between ARIN-WA and other regional ARIN type networks in Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, East and Southern Africa through participation in meetings of some of these ARIN networks, which resulted in several bilateral exchanges of operational (case related) information. UNODC also made progress in assisting the countries in the region to combat illicit trafficking, under the framework of the Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP) and the Global Container Control Programme (CCP), both of which are implemented jointly with the World Customs Organization (WCO). Joint Airport Interdiction Task Forces (JAITF) are installed at priority international airports in Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria Togo and Senegal, where they have been instrumental in making drug seizures. Initial steps for the establishment of JAITF have also been undertaken with Cameroon, Niger, Guinea Bissau, South Africa and Kenya. Under the CCP, training on the detection, investigation and inspection of high risk containers was provided to national counterparts assigned to the Joint Port Control Units (JPCU), which are operational in Benin, Ghana, Senegal and Togo. 2

3 Under the UNODC Maritime Crime Programme, legal reform was supported in Benin, Gabon, Nigeria and Togo to assist the countries in tackling the challenges of armed robbery and piracy. To ensure a comprehensive approach, additional capacity building efforts will start in the coming months to better equip prosecutors and judges to prosecute armed robbery at sea and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. UNODC continued to support legal reform and deliver capacity-building on its whole range of mandates, in particular on terrorism, money laundering, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, corruption, arms trafficking, drug trafficking and other types of organized crime as well as drug-related health issues to the different countries in the region. Regional and sub-regional trainings and workshops were also organized to facilitate international cooperation in criminal matters as well as the sharing of experiences and good practices on a South-South basis. Specifically, UNODC continued to support Nigeria through its large and comprehensive portfolio in the areas of drugs and related organized crime, anti-corruption, justice sector reform, antihuman trafficking and migrant smuggling and multidimensional security. 3. East Africa The UNODC Regional Programme for Eastern Africa Promoting the Rule of Law and Human Security in Eastern Africa ( ) has continued to support the efforts of Member States in the region to respond to evolving human security threats with a focus on achieving a tangible impact. In 2014, UNODC provided technical assistance to the Governments of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Tanzania, in strengthening their capacities to reinforce their criminal justice responses to Trafficking in Persons (TiP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SoM), illicit trafficking of Drugs, and Wildlife crime. In January 2015, UNODC opened a new office in Dar es Salaam to continue its work in fighting TOC in particular through the establishment of the Transnational Organised Crime Units (TOCUs), the Container Control Programme (CCP) and the delivery of capacity building to criminal justice practitioners to combat TiP in addition to countering piracy. In 2014, UNODC through its Maritime Crime Programme (MCP), has continued to strengthen the capacity of criminal justice institutions in the Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean region to effectively counter piracy and wider maritime crime. The Programme has provided a wide array of support to piracy prosecutions in Kenya, Seychelles, Mauritius and Tanzania aimed at ensuring fair and efficient trials, and secure and humane detention, in accordance with international standards and respect for human rights. The support is targeted at the Police/Coastguard, Prosecution, Courts and Prisons; and includes construction and refurbishment of courts and prisons, training and mentoring, technical advice to legislative and institutional reform, and logistical support to trials. UNODC is extending its programming to Mogadishu Prison, as well as training for Prosecutors and Judges in Mogadishu. The Programme is also expanding its support to law enforcement in Somalia, seeking to address maritime crime at its roots and provide 3

4 sustainable, long term solutions. In 2015 the MCP will expand its support geographically to counter piracy and maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. The MCP is also expanding its support thematically to deal with a growing range of maritime and transnational organised crime including drug trafficking, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, and wildlife and forestry crime. UNODC is implementing the National Integrated Programme (NIP) for Ethiopia , which seeks to assist the Government of Ethiopia to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in the country. Specifically, UNODC supported the Government to combat organized crime in the areas of International Cooperation in Criminal Matters, Witness Protection and Trafficking in Persons (TiP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SoM), including review of SOPs and the development of a training manual. UNODC also supported the Government in implementing the Witness Protection legislation through the provision of training and organization of a study tour and initiated the legislative review process with the aim of incorporating the Trafficking and Smuggling Protocols in the national law. In Somaliland, UNODC continued with the implementation of the Criminal Justice Programme. One of the main achievements was the development of a Criminal Justice Compendium for Somaliland, which will consist of a collection of manuals and handbooks for criminal justice actors in Somaliland. In November 2014, UNODC, together with the Somaliland Ministry of Justice, unveiled an advocacy campaign to address the challenges faced by the local justice system. The "know your rights" campaign - formally known as the Litigants' Charter Advocacy Campaign - will build awareness, trust and understanding about Somaliland's formal justice system, particularly on the roles of police, prosecutors, legal aid practitioners, and judges. Over a 10-week period, the awareness campaign will reach 100,000 men, women and children through 24 trained community advocates. UNODC is also working on a proposal for Crime Prevention in Kenya: Implementing a Multi- Sectoral Strategy and Action Plans for a Safer Country, which will focus on crime prevention in urban areas, piloting the approach in the counties containing the six largest urban areas in Kenya, with a view to up-scaling the approach to other counties at a later stage of the programme. This is expected to be transformed into a joint programme for UNODC and UNHABITAT. In June 2014, an Expert meeting on developing a Regional Mechanism for International Cooperation in Criminal Matters to address transnational organized crime in Eastern Africa was held in June The purpose of the conference was to enhance cross border cooperation between prosecutors in the region involved in prosecuting cases of transnational organized crime. Forty two experts from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania and Uganda as well as representatives from the AU, IGAD and EU participated in the meeting. This meeting will be followed up with the Indian Ocean Forum for Maritime Crime Meeting in 2015, in which measures to enhance international cooperation for these crimes will be discussed at depth. UNODC has been supporting the efforts of the Government of Kenya to reform the Police Sector through an integrated and comprehensive programme aimed at implementing the provisions of the Constitution enacted in September 2010.The programme primarily focuses on four key objectives which are to: a) establish the legal and policy framework to govern policing in Kenya; 4

5 b) establish effective, efficient and sustainable reforms of institutional structures; c) enhance professionalism, integrity and accountability of the National Police Service (NPS); and d) strengthen operational preparedness and logical capacity and capability of the NPS. UNODC s assistance to police reform in Kenya falls in line with its mandated activities which include upgrading crime prevention and criminal justice systems as well as promoting the Rule of Law. UNODC has provided technical assistance to several countries in the regions such as Kenya and Somalia to better implement United National Convention Against Crime (UNCAC). In the area of human and social development, UNODC has undertaken major capacity building and skills development initiatives to improve drug dependence treatment in Burundi, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Tanzania/Zanzibar and Seychelles. Through regional and national seminars and workshops, these countries, in addition to Uganda, have increased their understanding of evidence-informed drug use prevention policies and interventions targeting different age-groups. Two of UNODC High Priority Countries, namely Kenya and Tanzania/Zanzibar, have also enhanced their capacity to prevent HIV and hepatitis among people who inject drugs. Mauritius and Seychelles have also received technical support in the same vein. For instance, Kenya started a methadone treatment programme for opiate users in November This will greatly increase the quality of life of heroin users and prevent new HIV and hepatitis infections among those who are injecting heroin. Training and support have been provided to the National Prison Authorities in several countries in the region to improve prison health management and prevent HIV infections among both prison staff and prisoners. Kenya has established its National Drug Observatory and has published its third report. 4. Southern Africa During the reporting period, UNODC and Southern African Development Community (SADC) confirmed their commitment to the implementation of the joint Regional Programme for Southern Africa, entitled Making the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region Safer from Crime and Drugs, , which supports countries in the region to address transnational organized crime, strengthen criminal justice and improve drug-related health care. Efforts are ongoing to mobilize funds for the implementation of the Regional Programme. UNODC, together with the SADC Secretariat, has been working to implement programme initiatives on trafficking in persons, gender-based violence, and HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and care in prisons. A situational assessment on gender-based violence in five countries (Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe) was endorsed by the SADC Gender Unit and has led to the prioritization of GBV activities reflected in the national action plans of participating countries. Similarly, technical assistance provided in the area of Trafficking in Persons led to four countries of the region implementing TIP laws and develop national implementation plans. UNODC also continued to support the countries in the region in the area of money laundering, as well as anti-corruption, through mentors and advisors in the region who work closely with national governments. UNODC continued to work to improve understanding of the linkages between drug trafficking and organized crime in Southern Africa, notably in terms of the emergence of the southern route for heroin trafficking from Afghanistan. 5

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