UN and Organized Crime Podcast

In this episode Ian speaks to key figures from the Brazilian government and civil society to understand the impacts of environmental crimes on the Amazon, and why Brazil has been leading the charge for a new protocol to address these threats under the UNTOC.Speakers:Gustavo Carneiro, Deputy Coordinator for the fight against transnational crimes, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign AffairsMelina Russo, Research Director, Igarapé InstitutePresenter:Ian Tennant, Director of Multilateral Engagement, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeLinks:(Article) When ‘why?’ becomes ‘why not?’: The case for a new global framework to tackle environmental crimeUN-TOC WatchECO-SOLVEGlobal Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

In this episode, Ian speaks to three civil society grantees of the Resilience Fund, who attended the most recent UN Crime Commission in May.  Anna Romandash, Noor Azizha and Lucie Andrea Gutiérrez speak about their experiences at the local level, and why the next Crime Congress should pay heed to their and others plight, in order to better build community resilience to organized crimeSpeakers:Anna Romandash, Resilience Fund grantee (Ukraine)Noor Azizha, Resilience Fund grantee (Myanmar)Lucie Andrea Gutiérrez, Resilience Fund grantee (Colombia)Presenter: Ian Tennant, Director of Multilateral Engagement, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGlobal Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeResilience Fund

In this episode, Ian Tennant talks to Dr Matti Joutsen, author of a recently published history of the UN Crime Programme, to discuss the history of the UN Crime Congress, and the central role that civil society has played throughout its history.  The next Congress, takes place in Abu Dhabi, in April 2026.  Dr Joutsen explains how the Congress has evolved, and what diplomats should aim to achieve this time round.Presenter: Ian Tennant, Director of Multilateral Engagement, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeLinks:Book: The United Nations Programme on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice by Matti JoutsenGlobal Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

This episode explores the importance of gender equality and gender sensitive policies and programmes in national and international responses to organized crime, including how these issues are approached in multilateral negotiations. Ian Tennant speaks to Ambassador Corinne Kitsell, an experience British multilateral diplomat, who is currently the UK's Permanent Representative to several international organizations in Vienna.Presenter: Ian Tennant, Director of Multilateral Engagement, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeSpeakers:H.E. Corinne Kitsell, UK Permanent Representative in Vienna.Additional Links:UN-TOC Watch - UN-TOC Watch aims to support the UN and wider multilateral system so that it can respond more systematically to the threats posed by organized crime and help mitigate its impact in the areas such as conflict and violence, the environment, migration and cyberspace.Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

This second podcast episode on cybercrime and critical technologies in South East Asia starts to explore what the possible regional and indeed global responses might be to tackling these entrenched and growing threats.  With the support of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our partner, Lydekker, the GI-TOC has been exploring the specific vulnerabilities and challenges of these trends in South East Asia and exploring, with an expert multistakeholder group what best practises might exist in order to combat them.  Louise talks to Helena Huang and Horest Au-Yeung, two regional experts, to hear their perspectives on the responses that their respective organisations are seeing, supporting and delivering.   Presenter: Louise Taylor, Asia-Pacific Representative, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuests:Helena Huang Yixin, Associate Research Fellow, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)Horest Au-Yeung, Coordinator of Asia & South Pacific Desk, Cybercrime, INTERPOLAdditional ReadingA dream deferred or a near miss? UN committee postpones decision on cybercrime conventionCyber Convention Check-in

This episode reflects on what was supposed to be the concluding session of the UN’s ad Hoc committee that had been set up to negotiate a new convention on cybercrime. Following seven negotiating sessions over two years, each lasting two weeks and costing almost a million dollars each for the UN, member states have not come to agreement on what the convention should do, or even what it should be called. Ian talks to Summer Walker and Ana Paula Oliveira, who represented GI-TOC at the 7th AHC in January and February, to get their take on what happened, hear their insights they drew from being in the room, and talk about what happens next.Presenter: Ian Tennant, Director of Multilateral Engagement, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuests: Summer Walker, Head of Multilateral Affairs, NY, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeAna Paula Oliveira, Senior Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized CrimeAdditional ReadingA dream deferred or a near miss? UN committee postpones decision on cybercrime conventionCyber Convention Check-in

This episode explores how 'ECOSOC consultative status' enables NGOs to engage on policy issues at the UN, and how GI-TOC finally gained its accreditation earlier this year. The episode also discusses the challenges NGOs face in gaining this status, and in more generally engaging in multilateral settings.Presenter(s):Ian Tennant, Head of Vienna Multilateral Representation & Resilience Fund, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuests:Tuesday Reitano, Deputy Director, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeMaithili Pai, UN Advocate, International Service for Human RightsAdditional LinksGlobal Initiative against Transnational Organized CrimeThe Global Organized Crime Index

This episode explores the latest developments in the process to negotiate a UN treaty on cyber crimes, including a look back at April's 5th Ad Hoc Committee meeting, the upcoming publication of a draft treaty, and the next meeting in August. GI-TOC's Ian Tennant discusses key issues such as how the treaty should enable capacity building for states whilst protecting rights, and ensuring the involvement of civil society - with leading experts from Chatham House and the CyberPeace Institute.Presenter(s):Ian Tennant, Head of Vienna Multilateral Representation & Resilience Fund, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuests:Joyce Hakmeh, Deputy Director, International Security Programme; Co-Editor, Journal of Cyber Policy, Chatham HousePavlina Pavlova, Public Policy Adviser, CyberPeace Institute.Additional LinksGlobal Initiative against Transnational Organized CrimeUN cybercrime treaty Ad Hoc Committee: Circle remains unsquared

In this episode, we look back at the recent CITES Conference of the Parties in Panamá, and explore how this multilateral process addresses environmental crimes. The GI-TOC was there and focussed on international cooperation and responses to the online illegal wildlife trade. But what was achieved at the Conference and what impact it could it have on the damaging criminal markets concerned.Presenter(s):Ian Tennant, Head of Vienna Multilateral Representation & Resilience Fund, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuests:Simone Haysom, Thematic Lead on Environmental Crime, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.Abim Anim, Officer in charge of Nigeria Customs Service Special Wildlife Office.* World Customs Organisation (WCO) accredited Expert, Technical and Operational advisor in the field of Illegal Wildlife Trade. National Contact Point For WCO's Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (West Africa).Kumar Paudel, Conservation scholar from Nepal. For over 10 years, he has worked to protect threatened wildlife from illegal harvesting and trade, and he leads a conservation non-profit organization called Greenhood Nepal. Kumar was a Fellow of the GI-TOC's Resilience Fund in 2022.Alastair MacBeath, Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized CrimeAdditional LinksGlobal Initiative against Transnational Organized CrimeCITES, Nineteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

In this episode, we discuss the ongoing UN negotiations to create a global instrument to address cybercrime, or what it is called formally: countering the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) for criminal purposes. In May and June the second meeting of the UN Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) took place in Vienna. It was the first meeting that dealt with the potential substance of a treaty. Delegates addressed three main topics: general provisions, such as overall purpose; provisions on criminalization, and provisions on procedural measures and law enforcement. Presenter(s):Ian Tennant, Head of Vienna Multilateral Representation & Resilience Fund, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeSummer Walker, Head of Multilateral Affairs, NY, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuests:Neno Malisevic, Director of Digital Diplomacy at MicrosoftRahman Jeet Singh Cheema, Asia Policy Director and Senior International Counsel at Access Now

On 28 February, UN Member States began the official negotiation process of a new UN legal instrument on cybercrime.In this episode we delve into the substantive issues at play in the first negotiation session and in subsequent written submissions by UN Member States, ahead of the next session which starts on 30 May in Vienna. There are major gaps between different camps, and geopolitical pressures and fractures to navigate. We discuss what to expect for the upcoming session and beyond as Member States attempt to find consensus.Presenter: Ian Tennant, Head of Vienna Multilateral Representation & Resilience Fund, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuest: Summer Walker, Head of Multilateral Affairs, NY, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeAdditional Reading(GITOC) UN Cybercrime negotiations: Industry roundtable, 29 March 2022(GITOC) Guidance note on a draft convention on cybercrime(GITOC) GI-TOC Director's statement to the first session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee on cybercrime(GITOC) Control, alt, or delete? The UN cybercrime debate enters a new phase(GITOC) Cyber, fire and fury: Diplomats take first steps towards a cybercrime treaty amid widespread condemnation and isolation of Russia.(United Nations) Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes(Council of Europe) The Budapest Convention and its Protocols

In the final episode of the Road to Kyoto podcast series, Ian Tennant speaks to civil society participants at the 14th Crime Congress to reflect on what happened at the Congress, and what it means for the future of multistakeholder responses to transnational organized crime.Presenter: Ian Tennant, Fund Manager, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuests:Siria Gastelum Felix, Resilience Director, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeJean-Paul Laborde, Ambassador, Parliamentary Assembly of Mediterranean; Professor, French Military Academy and member of the GI Network of Experts.Gerson Nozea, Haiti Country Director, Rapha International.GI-TOC’s review of the Congress is here.The Kyoto Declaration.

In this episode Ian is joined by a selection of distinguished guests and members of the GI Network of experts. They will discuss the current global state of organized crime, in the context of the quinquennial Congress, and the more recent developments as a result of COVID-19. The podcast will also analyse the current framework of international responses to issues of concern to the Experts, and make suggestions on what should be the key issues and recommendations discussed by governments and civil society at the Congress. The recording is scheduled to last one hour.Presenter: Ian Tennant, Fund Manager, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeGuests:Marika McAdam, International Legal and Policy Advisor.John Githongo, CEO of Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi.Lucia Dammert, Professor of International Relations at Universidad de Santiago de Chile.Jay Albanese, Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and Co-Founder of Criminologists without Borders.Useful LinksUNTOC WatchUN Crime CongressGlobal Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime