These conferences have been established to improve the capacity of States Parties to combat transnational organized crime and to promote and review the implementation of the Convention. Some 800 participants from Member States, ministries and civil society participated in this year's conference which was opened by the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mr Yuri Fedotov.

At the opening session, Ambassador Didier Lenoir, Head of the EU Delegation to the International Organisations in Vienna outlined the ongoing efforts of the EU and its Member States to address the threats from organised crime, notably smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings as well as firearms trafficking and terrorism - in line with the EU's Security Union initiative. The Conference adopted a resolution on strengthening the fight against illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition co-sponsored by the European Union.

Moreover, the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Dr. Myria Vassiliadou was invited as a guest speaker to the Conference. Under her lead, an EU press conference was held on the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day which coincided with the UNTOC conference. You can find more information on the Press Conference and the recently published EU study on human trafficking here.

Further reading:

Press release on the 10th EU Anti-Trafficking Day

The European Agenda on Security

UNODC Documentation of the 8th Session

Photo credits: IAEA