UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is the world’s only global, legally binding instrument in place to combat transnational organized crime. Adopted by General Assembly resolution 55/25 on 15 November 2000, UNTOC entered into force on 29 September 2003 and currently has 195 Parties. 

UNTOC works to prevent and combat transnational organized crime by establishing a framework for international cooperation and law enforcement. Addressing organized crime is of ever-growing importance as large transnational criminal organizations have access to more funds than the gross domestic product (GDP) of many countries, and their actions destabilize global security, damage economies, and undermine public health and the environment. 

UNTOC is supplemented by three Protocols: the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air; and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition.