In recent years, there has been a sharp escalation in gang violence in both developed and developing countries. Organized crime has killed 700,000 people from 2015 to 2021 International Law
The consequences of organized crime in the world are more devastating than ever: from 2015 to 2021, organized crime has killed about 700,000 people. This was stated by Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), speaking at the opening of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
In recent years, she says, there has been a sharp escalation in gang violence in both developed and developing countries: armed gangs are taking over ports and roads in Haiti, gangs are carrying out shootouts and bombings on the streets of Rotterdam and Antwerp, and the murder rate in Ecuador has increased by more than 400 percent in the past five years.
The drug trade continues to fuel the violence: the cocaine market is expanding, and the supply of synthetic drugs is increasing. Gangs continue to use firearms to coerce local communities and control trafficking routes.
Wars Fuel Organized Crime
“As the flames of conflict engulf entire regions of the Middle East, Africa and Europe, the ashes that wars leave behind fuel organized crime,” continued Ghada Wali. “Smugglers prey on people fleeing wars and disasters. The UNODC estimates that the number of migrants smuggled by sea from Africa to Europe will increase by more than 80 percent in 2023.”
Criminal groups exploit natural resources through illegal mining and deforestation, destroying ecosystems and livelihoods. The illegal wildlife trade involves more than 4,000 species of plants and animals in more than 160 countries.
Illegal Economy
As technology advances, organized crime finds more efficient ways to exploit and profit. Digital platforms are used to move illicit goods, exploit and abuse women, children and the elderly through fraud and scams. Virtual assets have become a popular means of illicit financial transactions.
“None of these threats should be seen in isolation from the others or from what is happening in the wider world around us,” Ghada Wali stressed. “Different forms of organized crime converge to form illicit economies that thrive on gaps in the rule of law.”
Death and destruction in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo create opportunities for illicit economies to thrive
In the Golden Triangle, the UNODC chief says, organized crime groups have taken over a number of border areas, using illegal casinos to launder drug proceeds and engaging in online fraud. In the Amazon, drug gangs are encroaching on protected lands and engaging in illegal logging, mining and poaching. In the Sahel, illegal firearms are sold openly in markets, and armed groups tax the use of roads to trade goods and smuggle migrants.
“Death and destruction in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo create opportunities for illicit economies to flourish,” said Ghada Wali.
Fighting Together
Currently, she recalled, the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime brings together 192 States and serves as a universally agreed framework for operational, normative and policy action.
“Organized crime steals wealth, health and hope, it corrupts institutions and communities and kills every day people,” said Ghada Wali. “As conflicts and instability increase in the world, it will find new opportunities for its activities. We need to unite to confront this threat together.”