International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime 2025; November 15th.

FORUM: "Follow the money. Stop organized crime." International Day for the Prevention of andFight Against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime 2025. This year’s theme, “Follow the money. Stop organized crime.”, highlights how illicit profits drive transnational organized crime. Each year, these crimes generate billions in illicit proceeds, infiltrating economies and supply chains, undermining governance and ultimately causing immense harm to people and planet. With nearly every form of organized crime, whether it’s drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, trafficking in persons, crimes that affect the environment or cyber fraud, there is a money trail. By following the money and exposing this trail, we can cut their lifeline and disrupt organized criminal networks. We call on governments, policymakers, law enforcement, the financial sector, digital platforms, civil society and the public to play their part in stopping organized crime. From strengthening cooperation and financial investigations to safeguarding digital spaces and exposing scams, everyone has a role to Stop Organized Crime. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #StopOrganizedCrime, #UNTOC_ReviewMechanism, #TOCday, #15november, #OrganizedFraud, #organizedCrime, #UNTOC.

EVENTS: High-Level Event to mark the International Day for the Prevention of andFight Against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime 2025 and to Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the UN Convention AgainstOrganized Crime.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention againstTransnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), widely known as the Palermo Convention, on 15 November 2000 and its two protocols- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in persons, Especially Women and Children, and Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. On 31 May 2001, the General Assembly adopted its third protocol- Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their parts and Components and Ammunition. The Convention established the first globally legally binding and comprehensive framework to strengthen national capacities and promote international cooperation to prevent and combat transnational organized crime, both in its traditional manifestations and its new, evolving and emerging forms. In March 2024, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/78/267, proclaiming November 15th as International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms ofTransnational Organized Crime. The observance is intended to raise global awareness of the grave threat posed by organized crime, foster stronger cooperation among States, and reinforce collective commitment to the full and effective implementation of UNTOC and its Protocols. The 2025 International Day commemoration, the second of its kind, carries special significance. It marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the UNTOC and its Protocols against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants, as well as the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of its third Protocol on Firearms. This milestone commemoration offers a unique opportunity to take stock of progress achieved, honour those who have dedicated their lives to advancing the anti-crime agenda, and renew efforts to ensure that the Convention is fully and effectively implemented to uphold the vision of global justice, cooperation and security enshrined in it. The commemoration will convene high-level representatives, diplomats, youth leaders, civil society actors and experts in a ceremony designed to showcase political will, joint commitment and shared vision in the fight against organized crime.

AGENDA PROGRAMME

Time Agenda Speaker 

13:15 – 13:20 Opening remarks • H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN 

13:20 – 13:32 Key Interventions (6 min each) • H.E. Ms. Chiara Colosimo, President of the Italian Parliament's Antimafia Commission (Video statement) • Ms. Xiaohong Li, Representative of the UNODC New York Liaison Office 

13:32 – 14:10 Interventions by co-organizers (3-4 min each) • H.E. Mr. Luis Felipe Ugarelli, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru • H.E. Mr. Bart De Wolf, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Belgium to the UN • H.E. Mrs. Alejandra Hernandez Gonzalez, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the UN • H.E. Mr. Umetsu Shigeru, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN • Mr. Stefan Pretterhofer, Deputy Permanent Representative of Austria to the UN • Ms. Majda Moutchou, Deputy Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN • Mr. Robert Pulver, Chief of the DPO/OROLSI Justice and Corrections Service 

14:10 – 14:25 Interventions from the floor 

14:25 – 14:30 Closing remarks • H.E. Ambassador Mr. Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN • Ms. Xiaohong Li, Representative of the UNODC New York Liaison Office

LIVESTREAM: UNTOC at 25

CAMPAIGN STRATEGY:

"Follow the money" is a key strategy for combating organized crime by investigating financial transactions to uncover criminal networks and prosecute masterminds. To stop organized crime, law enforcement and international bodies use this method to trace illicit financial flows, while a multi-layered approach also involves strengthening cooperation, enhancing digital safeguards, and preventing crimes through various means.

Key strategies for following the money

Investigate financial transactions: Track money through bank accounts, utility bills, and other financial records to find connections between criminals and their networks.
Prosecute masterminds: By tracing illicit financial flows, investigators can link lower-level criminals to the high-level masterminds and corrupt networks.
Use financial intelligence: Organizations like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) set international standards for combating money laundering and terrorism financing, providing a framework for investigation.

Gather evidence: Financial transactions can provide crucial evidence for building a case, such as exposing bribery and corruption.

Broader strategies to stop organized crime

Strengthen international cooperation: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and international bodies like the UNTOC work to improve cooperation and intelligence sharing among nations to combat transnational crime.
Implement multi-layered prevention: This includes a "Four P" approach (Prepare, Prevent, Pursue, and Protect) that combines various methods like security systems and surveillance.
Safeguard digital spaces: Acknowledge and address the role of digital platforms and online scams in organized crime.
Build a skilled workforce: Ensure law enforcement agencies have a workforce equipped with the skills for intelligence analysis, surveillance, and inter-agency collaboration to tackle the complexity of organized crime.

PUBLICATION: Explainer: What is the Organized Crime Convention?, Why does this global commitment still matter today?, What is the Convention and why does it matter? 

25 years ago today, countries united under one commitment: to work together to Stop Organized Crime. Today, we celebrate 25 years of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. 25 years of partnerships, progress and protection for people and communities worldwide.

The Launch of the Global Organized Crime Index 2025.

The world is at a crossroads when it comes to dealing with illicit economies. Organized crime is undermining democracy, the sovereignty of states, and even international peace and security. The rules-based order that has prevailed for decades is now being exploited by those who don’t play by the rules. Criminal groups are some of the biggest profiteers. Illicit economies reflect broader socio-economic, political and geopolitical processes, because criminals are often the ones who adapt first and take advantage of disruptions such as geopolitical competition, rapid technological innovation, violent conflicts, trade wars and the erosion of democracy. So, the Global Organized Crime Index is not just a tool for measuring crime: it is a mirror reflecting what is going on within states and the international system. Since this is our third edition, we now have three data sets that enable us to track and compare how criminal markets and actors have evolved over the past five years. Among the findings the data of this edition of the Index identifies is that there have been several shifts in the global criminal economy. For example, synthetic drugs and cocaine are rapidly dominating world drug markets. This shows the ability of criminal actors to capitalize on changing consumer preferences, technological developments in production and increasingly interconnected trafficking networks. At the same time, this Index shows a significant and rapidly growing trend: a rise in non-violent forms of crime such as financial and cyber-dependent crimes. These ‘invisible’ forms of organized crime are less reliant on traditional violent methods or corruption, but have become more embedded in transnational financial and digital systems. And they are often harder to detect. Despite the absence of violence in these illicit economies, they still cause untold harm. Financial fraud and cyber-dependent crimes have high costs for their victims – individuals, businesses and states. Counterfeiting, another silent crime, is also becoming more pervasive, the Index finds. Inflation, weak economies, job insecurity and trade wars are fuelling this market as consumers with less purchasing power seek cheaper products. This year’s Index also shows that, while state-embedded actors are the most prevalent criminal actors, yet again, foreign actors registered the sharpest overall increase since the last Index in 2023. This suggests criminal groups are increasingly mobile and that there is closer transnational cooperation between them. Private sector actors are also playing an increasingly significant role in illicit economies, particularly as facilitators of criminal activity, for example in logistics, finance and technology. In addition to analyzing criminal markets and actors, the Index measures resilience. While many criminal markets are witnessing growth, resilience scores appear to have plateaued. An example of this is international cooperation. While this indicator usually outperforms the other 11 resilience indicators, an increasingly fractured international system and a retreat from multilateralism suggest that states are less willing to cooperate to fight crime. This is a worrying trend, not least in this year when we mark the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. That said, the trajectories of crime can be changed. For example, the Index shows that, statistically, by strengthening key areas of resilience we can reduce the influence of state-embedded actors over illicit activities to a measurable degree, while stronger response measures can shift communities, even societies, into a more positive direction. The Index is both a record of vulnerabilities and a tool for solutions. By charting trends, risks and trajectories across every country, the Index provides a foundation for action to guide reforms, to strengthen institutions and to empower civil society. Its continuity across editions makes it possible to track change over time, offering not only a mirror of today’s realities, but also a compass for the choices that lie ahead. We therefore invite governments, policymakers, civil society and international actors to use the Index as a shared evidence base to transform knowledge into policy, and urgency into action.