Fisheries crime was the focus of the Joint High Level Side Event ‘Transnational Organised Fisheries Crime’ co-hosted by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, The Government of Norway and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime of the 25th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Crime Commission) on 23 May in Vienna.
Every year, the Crime Commission draws together around 1,000 participants annually from Member States, civil society and academia. At this year’s Crime Commission there are around 50 side events and 14 exhibitions on crime prevention and criminal justice matters. At the Transnational Organised Fisheries Crime Side Event all four panelists highlighted the serious nature and global reach of transnational organised fisheries crime, recognising its complex multifaceted nature, its adverse economic, social, political and ecological consequences on developing nations in particular, and the need for transnational cooperation to address the problem. Mr Lale-Demoz, referencing the outcome of the Expert Group Meeting on Fisheries Crime held in Vienna in February 2016, emphasised the key role of UNODC in facilitating enhanced cooperative law enforcement towards this end.
A link to the Conference Room Paper of the Expert Group Meeting on Fisheries Crime can be found here.