UNICRI :: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute

DAWN: Promoting Gender-Based Drug Use Prevention and Recovery

To date, there is extensive evidence of the differences between women and men regarding substance use. Epidemiological studies show that even though women are less likely to initiate drug use than men, they start earlier and are more susceptible to develop an addiction. Women are also more vulnerable to drug-related pathologies, such as liver and cardiovascular diseases, and are more exposed to sexual and physical abuse and violence and to sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time studies of gender differences in drug treatment show that reasons why women and men seek help are often dissimilar, and that psychological, biological and social gender differences are important factors for the success of diverse types of treatment and for retention into treatment.

Most strategies for drug prevention and recovery in the world are, however, tailored to men, with the result that they have little or no impact on women. In many countries, especially in developing countries, women who use drugs are facing cultural, social and religious barriers and stigma that hinder them from accessing the existing health and social services, even more so as regard the services dedicated to treatment and recovery from substance use disorders.

In 2010 UNICRI initiated the project “DAWN – Drugs, Alcohol and Woman Network”, supported by the Department for Drug Policy of the Presidency of the Council of the Ministers of the Government of Italy, to address gender differences in drug use and addiction, and to promote gender-responsive drug policies in drug prevention and recovery.

The aim of the project has been to establish a network of experts on gender differences in substance use and addiction recovery, who can advocate and assist in the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions, policies and best practices which are tailored to the particular needs of women.

The project is enshrined within the UN Sustainable Development Agenda, with regard to access to justice and social development, access to health and promotion of women’s rights and empowerment in their social, cultural and religious position in society.

The project is also carried out within the 2012 Resolution, Promoting strategies and measures addressing specific needs of women in the context of complete and integrated drug demand reduction programmes and strategies approved during the 55th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). The resolution calls on Member States "to consider incorporating female-oriented programmes in their drug policies and strategies" and encouraged "to integrate essential female-specific services in the overall design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes addressing drug abuse and dependence"

Download the resolution:

Resolution 55 5.pdf

Through this Resolution, UNICRI received a specific mandate to continue in assisting and supporting Member States in developing and adapting measures and strategies, at the national, regional and international levels, addressing the specific needs of women as an essential element of more effective, just and human rights-based policies.

In this framework, the project has supported collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to establish guidelines on the prevention, treatment and recovery from substance use tailored for women and girls.

To download the UNODC Guidelines on Drug Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation for Girls and Women click here:

The DAWN project also works as a Think Tank, to gather the most advanced research findings and scientific evidences from the international expert community and to stimulate scientific debate and knowledge diffusion on the most effective approaches to gender-responsive drug use prevention and recovery strategies. Innovative approaches are diffused through participation in conference and meetings and through advocacy activities to facilitate gender mainstreaming in policy and operational agendas. To this end, the project published in 2013 a good practice manual “Promoting a gender responsive approach to addiction”, which provides practical examples of gender mainstreaming in addiction services, as well analyses the most relevant factors influencing the development of addiction in women and girls. Protective and resilience factors, as well as the association with violence and trauma and the specific characteristic of female recovery processes are some of the issues presented in the book.

To download the DAWN book :

Promoting a gender responsive approach to addiction.pdf

Over the years, the project has organized networking conferences, advocacy events and training opportunities to assist professionals and policy makers in mainstreaming gender considerations in their working agenda. Among those, Project DAWN has developed a multilingual distance learning platform, available 24/7 free of charge, with the assistance of its network experts.

To access the E-learning platforms click here.

As with other gender related health aspects, the recognition that female substance use has different roots than male substance use should serve to redirect working practices towards the goal of ensuring that women and men receive information, assistance and care tailored to their needs. In this process of recognition and redirection, the consideration of female addiction could be reframed within a more coherent policy incorporating social and health determinants. To this regard, project DAWN promotes discussion on the concepts of Accessibility, Affordability and Acceptability of health and social services and their alignment with women’s needs. Policy coherence across different areas would facilitate the effective use of resources, in order to close the gaps in treatment, overcome barriers to equitable care and build clinical capacity in creating a female focused research agenda.

Related documents and links:

English version.pdf

Italian version.pdf

Promoting Social Justice and Development

UNICRI has a long standing record in research, training and technical assistance projects aimed at promoting social justice in the attainment of human development.

During the past four years, UNICRI, at the request of several partners, has strengthened its work in identifying and addressing priority societal challenges posed to sustainable human development and to protection of fundamental rights, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations (prison population, drug users, women, victims of cultural/religious issues).

Included in this area are projects that promote professional knowledge-sharing and patients’ access to services, capacity building to enhance governance of national drug control systems, awareness and information strategies to address challenges posed by cultural/religious diversities.

Through the creation of high-level expert networks and through specialised websites and periodicals, UNICRI has disseminated documentation, ad hoc research studies and has provided specialised training for health and social workers as well as policy makers. Of particular importance is the support provided to Member States in the identification and application of evidence-based practices and tools, to enhance national self reliance and the development of institutional capabilities.

Protection of Public Institutions, Infrastructure, and Soft Targets

The UNICRI worldwide programme on Major Events Security, launched in 2002 and backed by the UN ECOSOC Resolution 2006/28, is aimed at providing technical assistance to policy-makers and practitioners in planning the security of Major Events, with a specific focus on coordination methodologies and standards.

The programme is based on the premise that Major Events are "windows of opportunity" since they not only bring along improved international cooperation in their security planning and implementation but, very often, they increase the resources available to national security planners. Consequently, Major Events represent an occasion for the latter to design, apply and, when appropriate, adopt on a standard basis new security strategies, methodologies and products to enhance public order and crime prevention, and improve the standard national security policies and practices.

Moreover, Major Events require building effective and sustainable security strategies and operational responses. In this way, they provide a legacy that can lead to relevant developments in national security planning and existing structures, as well as new approaches in response to new and emerging threats to the national security. Within the programme, and in line with the UNICRI Security Governance Approach, regional initiatives have been developed in Europe (The House, which has developed from EU-SEC and then EU-SEC II) and in the Americas (IPO Americas).

In 2020, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), in partnership with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and in consultation with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), joined forces to launch the 'Global Programme on Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism'. This new programme is aiming at developing innovative policies and practices to strengthen the protection of major sporting events through enhanced international cooperation, public-private partnerships and sustainable security approaches, while promoting the values of sport as a powerful means to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism.

Juvenile Justice in Mozambique

The Project

In line with the UNICRI Angolan experience, the three-year programme (2006-2009) focused on the Maputo Province (including a few nation-wide activities) combined institution building and social activities. The programme also included analysis and information sharing through the creation of a Juvenile Justice Forum and the construction of a database on minors in conflict with the law.

Support to the institutions includes the preparation of a Code of Conduct for the Community Courts; the reinforcement of the Juvenile Court, the Education and Training Centre, and the Juvenile Reception and Observation Centre in Maputo. Training was provided at national level to clerks from the twelve juvenile courts, social workers, police and correctional officers, paralegal personnel and NGO volunteers.

The programme supported the public institutions in the establishment of two certified non-governmental structures for the reception and treatment of minors in conflict and the safeguard of their rights. Social activities included vocational training and work placement for 30 adolescents in conflict with the law.

The project aimed at improving the living conditions of young Mozambicans, especially minors in conflict with the law and/or at risk, and at promoting their rights while enhancing the capacities of institutions and community organizations dealing with them by organizing trainings as well as providing equipment.

The legal framework

Mozambique ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1994 and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in 1998. Recently, the country started a process of harmonization of its national legislation within the international legislative framework. The Mozambican juvenile justice system (civil and criminal), previously regulated by Decree 417/71, Estatuto de Assistência Jurisdicional aos Menores do Ultramar, was reformed in June 2008 by the Law 7/2008, Lei de Promoção e Protecção dos Direitos da Criança and by Law 8/2008, Lei da Organização Tutelar de Menores.

The necessity to harmonize the Mozambican juvenile justice system with the international norms called specially for the application of the articles 37, 39 and 40 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to Mozambican Law 7/2008, the new legislation regulates the promotion and protection of the rights of the child with special regard to the civil and the criminal aspects of juvenile justice.

Results achieved

The UNICRI programme promoted the rehabilitation, refurbishment and opening of the first Criminal Prevention Section of the Tribunal for Minors of Mozambique in February 2009 to enable the Government to have an ad hoc section for criminal cases. Moreover, UNICRI in May 2009 opened the first pre-trial Observation Centre and the first post-trial Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre. The rehabilitation of these structures represented an important step in order to provide an accurate treatment to minors at risk and/or in conflict with the law. The Tribunal for Minors is responsible for dealing with all the cases – either civil or criminal - concerning minors younger than 16 years old.

The Observation Centre has a triple function: it is a place where minors may find shelter whenever they are unable to be immediately received by the Tribunal for Minors; it may receive minors that have been sent by the judge of the Tribunal after the beginning of a legal procedure in order to be observed (the personality, behaviour, adaptation, socio-familiar situation, etc.) and to put the judge in the position of taking a decision; and finally it is the place where minors who have been charged with serious offences wait for the conclusion of their own process (for a term not superior of 30 days).

The Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre is the last phase that minors face before being reinserted back into the society with their families. It is important to stress that going to the Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre is just one of the possible social-educative measure that the judge may impose to a minor and it is a measure used only for most severe cases. The Rehabilitation Centre is managed by the Ministry of Justice and counts with the work of educators, psychologists and social assistants who accompany minors during their stay at the centre. At the centre minors also have the possibility of continuing their studies and participating in vocational training as a support for their reinsertion into society as well as their potential future self-sustainment.

UNICRI carried out trainings of personnel responsible for working both at the Tribunal for Minors, and the Observation Centre as well as at the Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre.
Training is a fundamental tool to ensure that personnel responsible of working with minors at risk and/or in conflict with the law are adequately prepared to support them. For this reason it is worth mentioning that significant trainings were held for 120 people, among them managers, judges, prosecutors, and clerk officers of the 11 Provincial Courts and of the Tribunal for Minors of Maputo; 80 social workers and assistants; 200 law enforcements officials; 50 NGO workers and 60 paralegals.

At the social level, the programme actively collaborated with Community Courts and set up a network of community services. Information and awareness campaigns were widely carried out through two Information Points and street units. The Information Points were established at the neighbourhoods of Baixa and Hulene in Maputo.

The Information Points started as a place where families would go for advice but which turned into an important reference point able to mobilize communities and assist them in resolving conflicts by supporting and training personnel of community courts, collecting data and discussing with community personalities, police and heads of the neighbourhoods. Moreover, UNICRI’s support facilitated the link between formal and informal justice by promoting a dialogue between community courts and the Tribunal for Minors.

The activities carried out in Hulene, with the support of the Italian NGO GVC and the Mozambican NGO CST, included the rehabilitation and enlargement of a Centre that already existed and the creation of a street unit. In Hulene, the centre receives minors and provides recreational activities such as sports and art activities for minors at risk. Moreover, great emphasis has been given to vocational training as a way of rehabilitation and reinsertion of minors at risk or those who have been in conflict with the law. The centre provides a variety of vocational courses such as tailoring, hairdressing, ceramic, professional painting, tin making, shoe making, IT courses and music courses (percussion).

UNICRI, with its partners, have already successfully inserted some of the juveniles, providing them job placements. The activities carried out at the Baixa with the Italian NGO CIES (supported by the Mozambican NGO MDM), included the creation of a new Information Point and implementation of prevention and information campaigns by creating a support network for minors. Training courses for social operators and police officers were carried out as well as conferences at social centres located in the neighbourhood. The use of theatre pieces performed directly by minors turned out to be a significant awareness tool. UNICRI, with the support of the Italian NGO ISCOS promoted vocational training and work placements for 30 adolescents in conflict with the law in Hulene and Baixa. Important activities were carried out in this area such as: the creation of partnerships in the formal market with private companies and entrepreneurs, the provision of internships for minors as well as job placements.

UNICRI also set-up a database dedicated to minors in conflict with the law, which is accessible for the Police, the Ministry of Justice and the National System of Prisons. The database provides information of all minors who are accessing the justice system.

In addition, UNICRI set up a Juvenile Justice Forum to promote the inter-ministerial dialogue and debate on juvenile justice issues. The Forum on Juvenile Justice was conceived in order to promote an inter-institutional dialogue and encourage the formulation of new policies and strategies in the area of juvenile justice and strengthen the capacity of institutions to deal with minors. The Forum includes the following institutions: Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour, Tribunal for Minors, Ministry of Women and Social Action, Attorney General of the Republic, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Education. In May 2009, it was opened to the civil society to promote social understanding, sensitivity and involved the people in favour of the rights of minors. At the event, all the above-mentioned institutions of the Forum have illustrated the activities in the area of protection of minors and subsequently followed a discussion open to the public. The Forum has been formally received by the Ministry of Justice, demonstrating the auto-sustainability of the activity.

Information-awareness campaigns have been conducted at the national level. UNICRI has produced and published two researches, one on community justice and one on the informal market and produced also guidebooks for minors and their families, social operators and police officers. Moreover, UNICRI has produced the first Compendium on International and National Legislation treating on Crime Prevention of Juveniles.

UNICRI has carried out the programme thanks to the support of: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Italian Cooperation Agency; and Regione Emilia Romagna.

and in collaboration with the following governmental, NGOs and international organizations: Government of Mozambique; CIES; GVC; ISCOS; Social Cooperative of Tsembeka (CTS); CMC Africa; CFGG; UNICEF and Italian Department of Juvenile Justice.

Juvenile Justice

Today, children and young people are exposed to exploitation, abuse and delinquency at an increasing rate. The reasons behind victimization and juvenile delinquency are many and complex. Growing levels of poverty and the consequences of wars, including social disruption, dysfunctional families and exposure to crime, are risk factors for delinquency. Insecurity due to unstable social environments increases vulnerability, and young people with poorly developed social skills are less able to protect themselves against the negative influences of a peer group. It is estimated that the overwhelming majority of those who participate in violence against young people in developed countries are about the same age and sex as their victims.

Millions of children and young people around the world do not benefit from the protection afforded by juvenile justice standards or preventive measures. Consequences of this lack of protection include illegal detention, minors incarcerated with adult detainees and a lack of capacity within the judicial and social systems to provide rapid intervention or trial for juvenile offenders. The best interest of the child is not established expressly in the Constitution of many countries nor is it directly expressed in ordinary legislation. Many countries do not have an organized system for gathering data on children and youth at risk or in conflict with the law. Programmes are needed to strengthen young people and minors' protection and development to help prevent and protect vulnerable juveniles.

Countries with economies in transition have witnessed a dramatic rise in delinquency rates. Most children and young people in conflict with the law have committed minor crimes or such minor offences as vagrancy, truancy, begging or alcohol use.

UNICRI to strengthen children and young people's rights

Since its establishment more than 40 years ago, UNICRI has contributed to the establishment of a reliable base of knowledge and information on social problems involving juvenile delinquency and adult criminality. As for its mandate, the Institute identifies appropriate strategies, policies and instruments for the prevention and control of this growing problem as well as to contribute to socioeconomic development and to promote the protection of all human rights.

UNICRI's aim for the programmes in the field of youth and minors' protection is to promote the rights of minors at risk or in conflict with the law, enhance the capacities of relevant institutions and grass-root organisations, and strengthen the juvenile justice systems.

The Institute's strategy is founded on the belief that the protection of the rights of juveniles, especially of those who are in conflict with the law, is a key element for development, reconciliation and reconstruction processes in the countries in which the Institute operates. These objectives are carried out in a holistic manner. The methods used are applied research, legal and technical assistance, advanced training, social activities and awareness campaigns. UNICRI's programmes combine institutional capacity-building and social activities. The Institute works in strict cooperation with local, national and international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental with the aim of supporting countries making the best use of international expertise and best practices, to set up appropriate structures and institutions The programmes are carried out worldwide with a special focus on countries in transition.

The Institute recently became a Member of the Interagency Panel on Juvenile Justice (formerly known as the Inter-Agency Coordination Panel on Juvenile Justice), created by ECOSOC resolution 1997/30 that aims at coordinating international technical advice and assistance in juvenile justice provided by UN agencies and non-governmental organisations under the guidance of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

At UNICRI, we believe our future lies with the youth, and that it depends on the assistance of minors and young people in achieving their rights. We are fully committed to support governments in achieving this crucial goal.

International Criminal Law

Within the framework of this programme, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) performs various kinds of activities both in cooperation with international criminal tribunals and domestic judicial and training institutions. These activities can be subsumed in the following main areas:

Supporting the mission and work of international and internationalized criminal tribunals and courts
Legacy projects and technical assistance to Member States

Supporting the mission and work of international and internationalized criminal tribunals and courts

In cooperation with international criminal tribunals, UNICRI has launched various initiatives aimed at gathering and transferring knowledge acquired by these international institutions to national judiciaries and practicing lawyers and concerned professionals to support the work of international tribunals set up for the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

In this context UNICRI boasts of organizing some of the world’s best training programs focusing specially on the development of international criminal law by international courts. Examples include

The Master of Law (LL.M.) in International Crime and Justice, provided in association with the University of Turin, which caters solely to younger professionals of law and related disciplines, and trains them to specialize in international criminal justice. The success of the Master Program can be marked from the fact that such professionals, upon the completion of their training have often been invited to intern or work by international courts and tribunals such as the ICC, ICTY, ICTR, SCSL, STL, ECCC and various UN agencies and peacekeeping missions
The International Criminal Law Defence Seminar, a unique training program with an innovative methodology explaining the practice and procedures of international tribunals in a 4 day period to practicing attorneys, judicial personnel, law enforcement and governmental officers working in the area of international justice.

Legacy projects and technical assistance to Member States

The UNICRI approach that has been followed with regard to preserving the legacies of International Tribunals’ comprises of:

Applied research and cooperation with the Tribunal to identify which type of knowledge and practices are worth to be transferred
Thorough analysis of the need of the countries involved by the Tribunal’s work
Elaboration and implementation of capacity building projects

UNICRI, on the basis of its previous experience, has undertaken a wide range of activities aimed at strengthening the capacities of domestic jurisdictions. These include:

Undertaking a thorough needs assessment of the judiciary and identification of gaps in its capacity to deal with statutory war crimes cases: Most recently, UNICRI has undertaken a careful needs assessment of the jurisdictions of the former Yugoslavia paying particular attention to needs for training and educational activities in the field of International Humanitarian Law, structural problems within the court systems and compliance of court procedures with international standards. The outcome of this endeavor was the 2009 ICTY-ODIHR-UNICRI Final Report “Supporting the transition process”, which provides an in depth analysis of the past capacity building activities in the region and recommendations on how to implement future capacity building programmes.
Elaborating training programmes and training curricula for legal practitioners on war crimes related issues: In 2008, UNICRI implemented a project aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Bosnian judicial system to deal with war crimes prosecution. Within this framework, a series of trainings for defence counsel were organized in cooperation with the Criminal Defence Section of the Registry of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on several issues, such as plea bargaining and use of evidence in war crimes cases. The choice of topics, lecturers and the preparation of training material was undertaken in close coordination with the local counterparts, to ensure that the trainings met the needs of the target groups.
Facilitating the transfer of knowledge and expertise to national judiciaries and building national capacities: Together with the ICTY and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE-ODIHR), UNICRI has implemented a joint project entitled “War Crimes Justice Project” (WCJP) which has successfully transferred knowledge on war crime cases from ICTY to the region. As a result of various initiatives to build the capacity of national jurisdiction in handling war crimes cases in 2011, over 800 justice professionals benefited from the training provided. Within the project framework, UNICRI also prepared, in cooperation with the Association of Defense Counsel practicing before the ICTY (ADC-ICTY), a “Manual on International Criminal Defence. ADC-ICTY Developed Practices”, an electronic and knowledge management tool in the nature of a bilingual training and e-learning portal, to facilitate the exchange of information and experience between practitioners from judicial institutions of the countries of the former Yugoslavia was made available. The training and e-learning portal, prepared in partnership with national institutions, contains over 700 relevant legislative tools in the field of war crime prosecutions, international conventions and treaties, relevant national legislation, bilateral agreements on criminal matters. The e-learning portal is being used by national judicial training academics in the former Yugoslavia to educate judges and prosecutors in the field of international criminal and humanitarian law.
Elaboration of electronic tools and knowledge management systems aimed at supporting the work and education of legal practitioners (such as databases on legislation, databases on past training activities and material, e-learning course on International Criminal and Humanitarian Law etc.): Within the ICTY-ODIHR-UNICRI “War Crimes Justice Project”: the Institute has created a Training and e-learning Portal for the region of the former Yugoslavia. The Portal is an online tool for legal practitioners and judicial training institutions containing:
1. A Database on Training Activities, containing all the material developed by international and national training providers during the implementation of trainings for legal professionals on war crimes related issues
2. A Legislation Database, which allows the user to browse relevant legislative tools (criminal legislation of the countries of the former Yugoslavia, bilateral agreements on criminal matters, international treaties and conventions)
3. An E-learning course for judges and prosecutors on International Criminal and Humanitarian Law
4. A Manual developed in association with the Association of Defence Counsel practising before the ICTY (ADC-ICTY) titled, ‘The Manual on International Criminal Defence, ADC-ICTY Developed Practices’. The Manual, which is the first of its kind, crystallises the knowledge gained by those practitioners at the ICTY and provides a ‘practical’ perspective necessary to assist lawyers in future war crimes cases wherever they might be practicing

Environmental Crimes

Environmental crimes

UNICRI considers environmental crime, including its links with other forms of crime, a serious and growing danger for development, global stability and international security.

Since 1991, UNICRI has contributed to combating crimes against the environment and related emerging threats through applied research, awareness and capacity-building initiatives. UNICRI has built a strong international network of experts and practitioners from major international organization, law enforcement agencies, NGOs and academic entities active in the field.

Transnational threat of environmental crimes

Environmental crimes encompass a broad list of illicit activities, including illegal trade in wildlife; smuggling of ozone-depleting substances (ODS); illicit trade of hazardous waste; illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; and illegal logging and trade in timber. On one side, environmental crimes are increasingly affecting the quality of air, water and soil, threatening the survival of species and causing uncontrollable disasters. On the other, environmental crimes also impose a security and safety threat to a large number of people and have a significant negative impact on development and the rule of law. Despite these issues, environmental crimes often fail to prompt the appropriate governmental response. Often perceived as ‘victimless’ and incidental crimes, environmental crimes frequently rank low on the law enforcement priority list, and are commonly punished with administrative sanctions, themselves often unclear and low.

The involvement of organized criminal groups acting across borders is one of many factors that have favoured the considerable expansion of environmental crimes in recent years. Led by vast financial gains and facilitated by a low risk of detection and scarce conviction rates, criminal networks and organized criminal groups are becoming increasingly interested in such illicit transnational activities. These phenomena fuel corruption and money-laundering, and undermine the rule of law, ultimately affecting the public twice: first, by putting at risk citizens’ health and safety; and second, by diverting resources that would otherwise be allocated to services other than criminal activities.

The level of organization needed for these crimes indicates a link with other serious offences, including theft, fraud, corruption, drugs and human trafficking, counterfeiting, firearms smuggling, and money laundering, several of which have been substantiated by investigations. Therefore, environmental crimes represent today an emerging form of transnational organized crime requiring more in-depth analysis and better-coordinated responses at national, regional and international levels.

Role of UNICRI in supporting Member States and the international community in preventing and countering environmental crimes

The first research projects conducted by UNICRI addressed the issue of environmental law, and in particular explored the limits and potentials of applying criminal law in crimes related to environment. In June 1998, UNICRI organised in Rome a seminar on international environmental conventions and the administration of criminal law. Since then, the Institute has focused on the involvement of organized criminal groups in environmental crime.

To increase awareness of the threat of environmental crime, UNICRI contributed to the organization of the conference entitled Illicit trafficking in waste: a global emergency (Rome, December 2011), with the participation of the Ministry of the Environment of Italy, parliamentarians, international partners such as the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and many stakeholders involved in countering trafficking in and dumping of toxic waste. To enhance understanding of the dynamics of environmental crime, the Institute implemented a research and data collection project focused on the dumping of illegal waste and hazardous materials, including e-waste, and the involvement of organized crime.

In partnership with several research institutes, civil society organizations, and municipalities, UNICRI has launched a process for consultation at the international level on the involvement of organized crime in environmental crime, with a view to identify a set of recommendations for more effective policies and actions at the national, regional and international levels. To that end, the Institute, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has organized an international conference in Italy on 29 and 30 October 2012 (see dedicated section).

UNICRI has implemented several international and regional applied-research projects related to the illegal trade and trafficking goods having an adverse impact on the environment, including e-waste, illicit pesticides and precious metals (see dedicated sections).

Counterfeiting and Organized Crime

UNICRI has a long tradition of research in organized crime, including its relation to counterfeiting. The topic of counterfeiting is an important part of the work of the Institute due to the growing interest of criminal organizations in this area. Counterfeiting presents a very favorable ratio between potential profits and assumed risks compared to other criminal activities such as drug trafficking. It also facilitates money laundering by providing a front into which the criminal organizations can invest the proceeds of their other illicit activities. For these reasons interest in it has grown exponentially amongst organized criminal groups.

Counterfeiting is now ranked amongst the highest income sources for organized criminal activities.

Counterfeiting of Medicines

UNICRI researches and writes on specific counterfeit product categories, focusing on the impact on consumers’ health and safety and on organized crime involvement. Counterfeit medicines are among the counterfeit products with the greatest potential for harming the health of consumers. As for many other criminal activities, also in the case of counterfeit medicines reliable estimates are extremely hard to be obtained. Nonetheless, according to the WHO counterfeit medicines represent approximately 10 per cent of the entire amount of medicines worldwide. Strong evidence suggests that organized crime is increasingly involved in counterfeiting and counterfeit medicines are by no means an exception.

Counterfeiting

UNICRI’s programme on Counterfeiting is based on a long tradition of research in matters of organized crime. Counterfeiting is an important part of the work of the Institute due to the growing interest of criminal organizations in this area.

Counterfeiting presents a very favorable ratio between potential profits and assumed risks compared to other criminal activities such as drug trafficking. It also facilitates money laundering by providing a front into which the criminal organizations can invest the proceeds of their other illicit activities. For these reasons interest in it has grown exponentially amongst organized criminal groups.

Counterfeiting is a complex criminal activity involving economic, social and legal elements. Aware of this complexity and of the urgent need of an adequate response, UNICRI developed a specific program based on a multidisciplinary approach which follows two main pillars of analysis:

The fight against counterfeiting as a response to organized crime;
the danger posed by some specific products to consumers’ health and safety.

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