Publications

Crimes Associated with Critical Minerals in Southeast Asia: Trends, Challenges and Solutions

The Report Crimes Associated with Critical Minerals in Southeast Asia: Trends, Challenges and Solutions, offers a regionally focused analysis of the risks and vulnerabilities posed by illicit activity in the critical minerals sector. As Southeast Asia’s role in supplying minerals is essential to the global energy transition and digital technologies expand, so too does its exposure to environmental crime, corruption, and illicit financial flows.The report highlights how the growing demand for minerals such as nickel, tin, rare earth elements, and cobalt is creating opportunities for organised crime. These threats are compounded by insufficient traceability mechanisms, legal and institutional gaps, and limited enforcement capacity. The report calls for enhanced financial investigations, incr...

Toolkit on Effective CBRN Planning and Response for Policymakers and CBRN Managers

Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents pose a significant threat to global safety and security. These events can result in devastating human, environmental, and economic consequences, while also undermining public trust and social stability. Effectively managing CBRN risks requires a coordinated and strategic approach—one that goes beyond immediate response to include long-term planning, capacity building, and interagency collaboration.To address this need, UNICRI has developed the Toolkit on Effective CBRN Planning and Response for Policymakers and CBRN Managers. The publication is designed to support decision-makers—such as policymakers, emergency management officials, and CBRN managers—by providing practical, step-by-step guidance to strengthen national strategi...

Right- and left-wing violent extremist abuse of digital technologies in South America, Africa and Asia

This report, jointly published by UNICRI and VOX-Pol, investigates the underexplored phenomenon of right- and left-wing violent extremist groups in the Global South and their abuse of digital technologies. As technology evolves at an unprecedented pace, violent extremist actors increasingly exploit digital platforms, posing complex and multifaceted threats to national and global security.The report highlights how violent extremists are leveraging digital technologies for external and internal messaging, financing, and even offensive cyber operations. These threats range from the use of alternative or fringe social media, decentralised web platforms, gaming spaces, and live-streaming technologies, to more sophisticated operations such as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks and cybe...