For two decades, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been helping make the world safer from drugs, organized crime, corruption and terrorism. As the scale of these problems is often too great for states to confront alone, UNODC offers practical assistance and encourages transnational approaches to action.
TOPIC 1: Combating organised crime in South and Central America
The countries of South and Central America are among the most dangerous in the world. The region faces extreme violence inflamed by transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. The vast majority of the products are destined for the US market.
As a result, there is little doubt that these transnational issues pose significant challenges to both the region’s countries and the international community as a whole. Criminal networks and their activities disrupt stability, undermine democratic institutions, and impede vital economic activity in the region. What steps should the UN Office on Drugs and Crime take to end the never-ending cycle of violence once and for all?
TOPIC 2: Decriminalization of hard drugs
As the world fights the rising rate of toxic drug use, some countries have begun to implement new drug policies.
Decriminalization is the process of eliminating all criminal penalties associated with the use or possession of a certain drug in amounts below a predetermined threshold. Drug decriminalization’s main objective is to treat substance misuse as a public health issue rather than a problem for the criminal justice system. Decriminalization has already been implemented in many jurisdictions around the world.
However, despite its numerous benefits, it can have disastrous consequences if the system is not adequately prepared.
COUNTRY MATRIX:
Beginner: Jamaica, Kingdom of Thailand, Republic of Cuba, Republic of Peru, Italian Republic, Portuguesse Republic, the Swiss Confederation
Intermediate: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, French Republic, Kingdom of Spain, Republic of Costa Rica, Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Honduras, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Guatemala, the Republic of Chille, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Advanced: Canada, Federative Republic of Brazil, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Colombia, Russian Federation, United States of America, United States of Mexico