EU Statement at the Working Group of Government Experts on Technical Assistance, UN Convention against Transnational Organised crime (UNTOC) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Distinguished Chair, dear colleagues,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its Member States. The following countries align themselves with this statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Serbia, Ukraine.

Firstly, concerning technical assistance:

Together the EU and its Member States are among the main contributors to UNODC’s budget. The EU’s multi-year project funding with UNODC currently exceeds €300 million. Between 2016 and 2024, the EU and its Member States provided USD 968 million in voluntary contributions to UNODC.  In 2025, the EU and its Member States contributed over €116 million, equivalent to 23% of UNODC's voluntary funding for that year. 

We are currently supporting 62 projects worldwide and many of these are technical assistance projects to counter organised crime. 

Together with the UNODC, we have invested over EUR 700 million in countering migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. This includes law enforcement and judicial cooperation, border management, awareness-raising campaigns, and sustainable solutions to address the root causes of migration across Africa, the Middle East and Central and Southern Asia.

The EU launched new projects, INTERCEPT—a €20 million EU-funded initiative—to disrupting illicit flows via land, aviation and maritime routes and THEMIS, a global justice cooperation project against crime and terrorism. The EU is also highly active with UNODC in countering crimes that affect the environment, such as illegal pollution, waste trafficking, and wildlife crime. We have invested nearly €30 million in this area through our global GUARD Wildlife programme.

All these projects demonstrate the high importance the EU places on providing and supporting technical assistance in the field of transnational organised crime, and we will continue to support them. The EU also highly values technical cooperation and in this regard stress the importance of preserving the strong UNODC field presence. 

Secondly, on the UNTOC Review Mechanism:

The UNTOC Implementation Review Mechanism is a crucial process to support Parties to the Convention and the Protocols in the effective implementation of these instruments, and to help them to identify and substantiate specific needs for technical assistance and to promote international cooperation. Technical assistance and the review process are thus closely linked. 

However, we are concerned by the significant delays and the fact that there are currently only three reviews completed. 

Moreover, we are concerned by the lack of sufficient and sustainable funding for the review mechanism. Unfortunately, in 2026, there are only two Parties which have made voluntary contributions: Italy and the EU. We therefore encourage all States Parties to consider providing voluntary financial support to the Review Mechanism, with a view to broadening its donor base and ensuring its long-term sustainability. 

The forthcoming Conference of the Parties will provide an important opportunity to reflect collectively on how to strengthen the Mechanism and ensure that it remains fit for purpose, while enhancing efficiency, in line with the UN80 reform agenda and with a view to make the best use of existing resources. 

Let me conclude by highlighting that the EU and its Member States believe that UNODC activities linked to treaty-based obligations should be covered under the UN regular budget.  

Thank you, Chair.