Transnational Organised Crime
Expected Council Action
In December, the Security Council plans to convene an open debate on “Transnational organised crime, growing challenges and new threats” under the “Threats to international peace and security” agenda item. Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Maria Gabriela Sommerfeld, is expected to chair the meeting, which is the signature event of Ecuador’s Council presidency. The anticipated briefers are Secretary-General António Guterres; Ghada Waly, the Executive Director of UNODC; and a civil society representative. A presidential statement is a possible outcome.
Key Developments
During the past 15 years, the Security Council has held several meetings and adopted key outcomes focusing on the various challenges posed by transnational organised crime—an issue that manifests itself in various illegal activities that threaten international peace and security, including migrant smuggling, illegal mining, drug and human trafficking, arms trafficking, extrajudicial killings, sexual and gender-based violence, kidnapping, money laundering, and trafficking in cultural artifacts, among others.
The Council’s first open debate on drug trafficking and organised crime was convened on 8 December 2009, during Burkina Faso’s Council presidency. The meeting resulted in a presidential statement that noted the threat “posed in some cases by drug trafficking and related transnational organized crime to international security in different regions of the world, including in Africa”. The statement also recognised the contribution of states and regional and subregional organisations in tackling drug trafficking and encouraged them to share information about illicit drug trafficking networks.
France initiated a briefing on 24 February 2010 on global threats to international peace and security posed by organised crime. As an outcome to the meeting, the Council adopted a presidential statement on the linkages between drug trafficking and organised crime. The statement also expressed concern about the development of cybercrime and that kidnapping and hostage-taking were being used by criminal groups to raise funds or garner political concessions.
On 21 February 2012, during an open debate convened by Togo on the impact of transnational organised crime on peace, security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel region, the Council adopted a presidential statement that identified transnational organised crime as a serious threat to international peace and stability “including illicit weapons and drug trafficking, piracy and armed robbery at sea, as well as terrorism”.
Chad held an open debate on 19 December 2014, which focused on the linkages between transnational organised crime and terrorism. At the debate, the Council adopted resolution 2195, which called on UN member states “to strengthen border management to effectively prevent the movement of terrorists and terrorist groups, including those benefiting from transnational organized crime”.
More recent Council meetings related to transnational organised crime have focused on issues such as human trafficking (the US, Spanish, and Italian Council presidencies in December 2015, December 2016 and November 2017, respectively); the protection of cultural heritage (Italy’s Council presidency in November 2017); and organised crime at sea (Equatorial Guinea’s presidency in February 2019).
As well, efforts to tackle organised crime have been evident in the Council’s recent work on sanctions. In November 2022, when the Council renewed the Al-Shabaab Sanctions regime in Somalia, it encouraged the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to bring together relevant states and international organisations to “enhance regional cooperation on responding to illicit maritime flows and disrupt all forms of trafficking in licit and illicit goods that may finance terrorist activities”. In addition, when renewing the Haiti Sanctions regime this October, the Council welcomed the launch of technical programmes by the UNODC to “assist national authorities to promote border and ports control, trace illicit financial flows, [and] collaborate across borders to combat transnational crime, corruption, and drug and arms trafficking”.
Key Issues and Options
The key issue for the Council is identifying trends and addressing gaps in efforts to counteract transnational organised crime. Another important issue is how to enhance coordination and coherence among the various international, national, and local stakeholders working on this issue.
One option would be to invite a civil society representative, who works on addressing the peace and security threat posed by transnational organised crime, to brief on its effects in his or her region and strategies for addressing these threats.
Another option would be for the Council to pursue a presidential statement that:
- highlights the adverse effects of transnational organised crime in the current global security context;
- encourages international, regional and national actors to cooperate in sharing best practices on transnational organised crime; and
- encourages member states and regional organisations to enhance their capacities to tackle this threat.
Council Dynamics
It appears that Ecuador sees the open debate as an opportunity to explore how the Council can best address the multiple manifestations of transnational organised crime. This more holistic approach would be a departure from the narrower focus of some past Council meetings on this issue (for example, the relationship between transnational organised crime and human trafficking). Some members may also maintain during the meeting that underdevelopment is a fundamental factor leading to the rise of organised crime. It seems that Ecuador is collaborating with France, which has traditionally favoured Council engagement on transnational organised crime, to pursue a presidential statement on this issue.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 19 October 2023S/RES/2700 | This resolution renewed the Haiti sanctions regime for one year. |
| 17 November 2022S/RES/2662 | This was the resolution which renewed the 751 Al-Shabaab sanctions regime until 15 November 2023. |
| 22 December 2014S/RES/2195 | This was a resolution that addressed the role of transnational organised crime in supporting terrorism. |
| Security Council Presidential Statements | |
| 21 February 2012S/PRST/2012/2 | Was on the impact of transnational organized crime on peace, security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel Region, including piracy. |
| 1 January 2010S/PRST/2010/4 | This statement noted that drug trafficking and transnational crime were a growing concern, contributed to undermining the authority of states and might threaten the security of countries on its agenda. |
| 8 December 2009S/PRST/2009/32 | This presidential statement recognised the threat to international security posed by drug trafficking. |
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 19 December 2014S/PV.7351 | This was an open debate which focused on the linkages between transnational organised crime and terrorism. |
| 21 February 2012S/PV.6717 | Was a high-level debate on the impact of transnational organised crime on peace and security in West Africa and the wider Sahel region. |
| 21 February 2012S/PV.6717 (Resumption 1) | This document is the Security Council’s meeting record (resumption 1) of an open debate on the impact of transnational organised crime on peace, security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel region. |
| 24 February 2010S/PV.6277 | This was the briefing by the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. |
| 8 December 2009S/PV.6233 | This was an open debate on drug trafficking as a threat to international security. |
| 8 December 2009S/PV.6233 (Resumption 1) | This was the resumption of an open debate on drug trafficking as a threat to international security. |
