Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Associate

Details

Mission and objectives

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. Established in 1997, UNODC is mandated to assist Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism.
Throughout West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, transnational trafficking has permeated stable governance and the rule of law, leading to high levels of violence, intimidation and homicides. Regional countries have become key points of transit, and even of destination, for drug trafficking routes with organized crime groups capitalizing on weak governance and prevalent corruption.
The global and evolving nature of transnational organised crime groups presents a major challenge to law enforcement and judicial agencies worldwide. Their capacity to circumvent law enforcement and infiltrate state institutions renders their dismantlement and the prevention of their activities immensely complex, impeding police operations and criminal investigations as well as subverting criminal justice systems.
To address these threats, UNODC, in collaboration with INTERPOL is implementing the Global Programme CRIMJUST “Strengthening criminal investigation and criminal justice cooperation along drug trafficking routes”, funded by the European Union and the United States. CRIMJUST seeks to combat the flow of illicit drugs by enhancing law enforcement and judicial counter-narcotic strategies beyond interdiction activities and by fostering transnational responses targeting each stage of the drug supply chain.

Context

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is mandated to assist Member States in their fight against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism and is a global leader in those areas.
Transnational organized crime manifests in many forms, including as trafficking in drugs, firearms, cultural property and even persons. At the same time, organized crime groups exploit human mobility to smuggle migrants, undermine financial systems through money laundering and use information and communication technology for criminal purposes. Organized crime yields high profits for its culprits and results in high risks for individuals who fall victim to it. From a sustainable development perspective, organized crime has devastating effects, it threatens peace and human security, violates human rights and undermines the economic, social, cultural, political and civil development of societies around the world.
The Organized Crime Convention (UNTOC) represents the principal legally binding instrument focused on preventing and combating transnational organized crime. It is a landmark treaty that is close to attaining universal adherence.
This UNV assignment is located in the Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention in the Conference Support Section (CSS), Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch (OCB), Division for Treaty Affairs (DTA) of UNODC. The International UN Volunteer will be based within the Regional Hub against Transnational Organized Crime based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
UNODC’s Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention aims to support States in implementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and especially the observations emanating from the Review Mechanism to UNTOC. To this end, the Global Programme pursues two interrelated outcomes. First, it supports States in adopting legislative and other related measures to strengthen UNTOC implementation. Second, it supports States in developing and implementing evidence-based plans and strategies to address transnational organized crime.
Both of these outcomes are implemented through four key modalities: the development and dissemination of knowledge on transnational organized crime issues through the SHERLOC knowledge management portal; capacity-building to implement UNTOC amongst relevant Member State authorities and other stakeholders; the development of tools to support responses to transnational organized crime, including for the purpose of fostering international cooperation in criminal matters; and awareness-raising and education on the consequences of and importance of combating organized crime, including through advocacy.
In 2022, UNODC established in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, a Regional Hub against Transnational Organized Crime in West and Central Africa, funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. Under the Regional Hub, the Global Programme has been supporting countries in the region in domesticating and implementing UNTOC, through the regional dissemination of various technical and legislative assistance tools on organized crime with a specific focus on crimes that affect the environment, the development of national strategies against organized crime and the collection of case law and legislation to feed the SHERLOC knowledge management portal.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of both the Head of UNODC’s Office in Côte d’Ivoire and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer of the Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer – Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Associate will:
• Support technical assistance activities in efforts to prevent and combat organized crime in West and Central Africa, in particular to support States in the development of national strategies against organized crime;
• Support the dissemination of developed tools to combat crimes that affect the environment at the regional level and legislative assistance activities at the national level in West and Central Africa;
• Liaise with relevant UNODC teams in UNODC Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROSEN) to assist with the preparation of workshops and trainings, including on procurement processes and travels;
• Liaise with external counterparts including national authorities, participants, experts, service providers;
• Draft various documents including invitation letters, agendas, list of participants, concept notes, meeting reports;
• Support with the preparation of workshop and training materials, as well as with the post-workshop follow-up;
• Prepare tweets and other advocacy material on the margin of implemented activities;
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/expected outputs:
• As an active UNODC team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNODC and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment;
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.
• Assistance to the organization of at least two working group meetings to support States in West and Central Africa in the development of national strategies against organized crime.
• Contribution to at least one legislative assistance workshop to combat crimes that affect the environment organized in West and Central Africa at the national level.
• Assistance to the organization of at least one regional workshop to disseminate a technical assistance tool developed by UNODC in West and Central Africa.
• At least one in-person event for the UNODC regional Network of Women in Law and Policy against Organized Crime supported; mainstreaming of gender and human rights dimensions ensured in preventing and countering organized crime.
• At least 3 Tweets with visuals and one other advocacy product related to undertaken activities in West and Central Africa developed and published;