Publications

Malicious Uses and Abuses of Artificial Intelligence.

DALLAS, November 19, 2020 – A jointly developed new report by Europol, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and Trend Micro looking into current and predicted criminal uses of artificial intelligence (AI) was released today. The report provides law enforcers, policy makers and other organizations with information on existing and potential attacks leveraging AI and recommendations on how to mitigate these risks. Read the Report: Malicious Uses and Abuses of Artificial Intelligence “AI promises the world greater efficiency, automation and autonomy. At a time where the public is getting increasingly concerned about the possible misuse of AI, we have to be transparent about the threats, but also look into the potential benefits from AI technology...

Drivers of Illicit Financial Flows

Cross-border capital movements that serve to conceal illegal activities or evade taxation have been recently placed at the centre of the international agenda. Trade misinvoicing, profit shifting by multinational corporations, and offshore bank deposits to conceal the proceeds of crime or simply to avoid taxes, all deprive national treasuries of much needed resources. Resources which could otherwise be invested in development. Vulnerable populations in developing countries are the most affected by the harmful consequences of illicit financial flows. One clear demonstration of the growing international concern around IFFs is that, for the first time ever, the United Nations-driven renewed global development agenda incorporates a specific target related to combating illicit financial flows...

Planning Resiliency: Shaping the Future - New issue of the Magazine Freedom from Fear

The development of modern technologies along with the acceleration of globalization and increasing inequalities are generating new paradigms and unpredictable risks. This has huge impact on populations all over the world. Today, millions of people are coping with crises stemming from climate change, violent extremism, organized crime, and a general lack of vision on how to develop sustainable responses. Threats, uncertainties and socioeconomic disparities, and the need for new effective and innovative approaches are symbiotic in every corner of the world. Over the recent years, the word “resilience” is occupying the vocabulary of the global community. Why? It appears that we have entered a phase where we must cope with problems and adversities that we failed to anticipate and address fr...

Situation Analysis on the Human Rights and protection of Persons with Albinism in Mozambique with a Special Focus on Human Trafficking

In Mozambique persons with albinism are estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 individuals, a relatively small group, which is dispersed across the country. Even though albinism is a natural inherited condition, persons with albinism are subject to discrimination, exclusion, verbal and physical violent attacks, which can amount to body part and organ removal, organ trafficking and murder. Following the sudden increase of reported physical attacks against persons with albinism at the end of 2014, which intensified in mid-2015, the trafficking of persons with albinism for the removal of body parts received increasing attention from law enforcement and human rights actors in Mozambique. At the peak of the attacks in 2015, the United Nations Independent Expert (UNIE) on the enjoyment of human rights...

Eco-Crime and Justice, essays on environmental crime

Organized Crime and the Legal Economy - The Italian Case

Report on Children and Counter-Terrorism

Report on Children and Counter-Terrorism Terrorism is not a new phenomenon. However, it has acquired new dimensions in the twenty-first century. Terrorist groups have become more structured, and are now often transnational; the majority of the latest terrorist attacks are religiously motivated; and terrorist acts have become increasingly brutal, particularly in terms of civilian casualties. The ever-evolving character of terrorism, together with the sense of anxiety that such a phenomenon creates in the community, has prompted States to adopt counter-terrorism policies and measures to tackle the issue. Children are increasingly affected and victimised by terrorism, but at the same time, the last few years have shown them to be increasingly engaged in terrorist related activity. Inter...

Illicit pesticides, organized crime and supply chain integrity

Illicit pesticides represent a lucrative activity for organized crime and a concrete threat to security, development, health and the environment, and consequently require urgent response from the national and regional authorities, as well as the international community and the United Nations. To address this growing threat, UNICRI has developed a programme aimed at enhancing an international strategy to counter serious and organized crime involved crimes having an adverse impact on the environment, including in the trafficking of illicit pesticides. The main objectives of the program were to: deepen the general understanding of current trends in the illegal, counterfeit and substandard pesticides market; identify and share good practices for detecting, investigating and prosecut...

Strengthening the Security and Integrity of the Precious Metals Supply Chain

A technical report prepared by UNICRI on “Strengthening the Security and Integrity of the Precious Metals Supply Chain” has been presented and discussed on the occasion of the side-event held on 25 May at the 25th Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). More than 50 persons participated in the Side-event, including representatives from Member States as well as international organisations. The report, prepared by UNICRI, within the framework of its initiative to counter illicit trafficking in precious metals, aims at assessing the vulnerabilities of the precious metals supply chain, highlighting the involvement of transnational organized crime and presenting other criminal activities associated to the illicit trafficking in precious metals. Based on the ca...