OSCE and UNODC sign new 2018-2019 joint action plan

VIENNA, 31 January 2018 – A plan for joint action by the OSCE and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the period 2018-2019 was signed by OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov today at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna.

The OSCE-UNODC Joint Action Plan 2018-2019 reflects the two organizations’contributions to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and  allows for more streamlined technical collaboration in twelve subject areas. These areas include combating transnational organized crime, preventing and countering violent extremism leading to terrorism, combating trafficking in human beings and the smuggling of migrants, anti-money laundering activities, and security sector governance and reform.

“This joint action plan has emerged from a genuine culture of co-operation between our organizations,” said OSCE Secretary General Greminger. “It is based on the profound understanding that only by drawing from our respective comparative advantages can we be effective in countering transnational threats to security.”

The signing of the Joint Action Plan 2018-2019 was accompanied by presentations from the OSCE Secretariat and UNODC, which illustrated the distinct benefits and added value of closer collaboration between the two organizations.

“I welcome UNODC’s ongoing cooperation with the OSCE, which is one of our key strategic partners. When taken together, the Joint Action Plan, regular expert consultations and staff talks provide an effective foundation for action against the challenges of drugs, crime, corruption and terrorism, and support for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said Mr. Fedotov.

The Joint Action Plan 2018-2019 contains four new subject areas on security sector governance and reform; preventing and combating violence against women; combating cybercrime; and combatting trafficking in cultural property that reinforce the evolving nature of the threats faced by the international community.  

Official collaboration between the OSCE and UNODC on the basis of joint action plans was first established in 2011, and the current plan is the fourth of its kind. Subject to the availability of funding and within the framework of each organization’s mandate, the plans allow for greater co-ordination and the implementation of joint programmes and activities. This includes co-ordination and co-operation through the exchange of best practices, the organization of joint workshops, joint technical assistance and sharing resources.