Organized crime has identified a business opportunity in the health emergencyquickly infiltrating the economic system. Where the pandemic has disrupted the typical channels of illicit trade, criminal organizations have managed to expand their network of customers and partners on a global scale thanks to e-commerce and online marketplaces. International cooperation must be strengthened to prevent crime from further damaging the socio-economic fabric.
This is what emerged from the MED virtual event "Rethinking international cooperation against illicit trafficking post COVID-19”, organized by ISPI in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and PMI IMPACT, an initiative of Philip Morris International, which saw the participation of renowned members of Italian institutions, global think-tanks and representatives of important countries of the Mediterranean.
Important points have emerged from the analysis of the illicit traffic of various product categories, such as the tobacco, weapons and drugs, used to finance other illegal activities in Europe and the Mediterranean. On the one hand, the pandemic has imposed unprecedented limits on criminal organizations, but on the other it has provided new opportunities for the expansion of illegal activities, also allowing new infiltrations into the legal economy in a delicate moment such as the one we are experiencing.
While the second part of the debate focused on the need for greater cooperation between the parties, with a focus on international cooperation and treaties that promote global regulation and more effective coordination in matters of contrast to illicit traffic.
Among these, important examples are: the United Nations Convention against the illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances of 1988 and the protocol against the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition which entered into force in 2005 ; the Protocol to Eliminate the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, which entered into force in September 2018 as a complement to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Una international regulation and more effective coordination between states are the best way to respond to global threats. Unilateral initiatives have proven to be ineffective or insufficient to respond to complex problems that know no borders, as the fight against the pandemic is showing us.
“The pandemic crisis – underlined the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Benedetto Della Vedova – reminds us that multilateralism is the only way forward. We need to strengthen international cooperation between law enforcement and judicial actors. Italy attaches the utmost importance to international cooperation in the fight against transnational challenges, as evidenced by our commitment to the Palermo Convention on Transnational Organized Crime. Today, through the launch of its Review Mechanism – strongly promoted by Italy – we are particularly committed to ensuring that the convention remains a living instrument, capable of adapting to the evolution of the security scenario.
“Finally – continued Undersecretary Della Vedova – respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms should always guide our actions. It is a central component of our efforts to prevent and fight organized crime, even in exceptional circumstances such as the current pandemic."
Secondo Luis Moreno Ocampo, from 2003 to 2012 first Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and member of the PMI Impact Expert Council: “The COVID 19 pandemic is only the latest example of a global problem that lacks global tools to address it. Mayors, governors, presidents and the World Health Organization itself have had debates about what actions should be taken as private organizations develop vaccines. It is time to promote new interactions between the public sector and the private sector to address global problems such as the one represented by criminal organizations that manage illicit activities.”
