UNODC warns technology is fueling faster, borderless crime

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 26— Rapid advances in technology are transforming the nature and reach of transnational organised crime, allowing criminal networks to operate across borders at unprecedented speed, the United Nations has warned.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna Monica Juma said criminal groups were increasingly exploiting technology while combining different forms of crime to expand their operations and profits.

“As I hoisted the UN flag to officially launch the 15th UN Crime Congress in Abu Dhabi, I was alive to the reality of the moment,” Juma said.

“Fast advancing technologies are shaping the nature, scale and speed with which crime is being committed in every neighbourhood, country and region of the world.”

Juma said the growing use of technology had contributed to the convergence of different crime types, creating increasingly complex threats that can affect millions of people across geographical boundaries.

“At the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, we see a convergence of crime types, complicated by appropriation of technology to commit them at high speed, targeting millions of people, even across distant geographies and creating networks of criminal profiteering across borders and regions,” she said.

Her warning came as the 15th UN Crime Congress opened in Abu Dhabi, bringing together governments, industry, civil society, philanthropy and other stakeholders from more than 110 countries.

The six-day congress focuses on strengthening international cooperation against transnational organised crime while advancing efforts to uphold the rule of law and improve access to justice.

Juma said the meeting comes at a time when international cooperation is increasingly required to confront criminal networks whose activities extend beyond individual countries and jurisdictions.

“For the next 6 days, the world will convene, united by a vital, shared mission: To dismantle global crime networks, uphold the rule of law, and secure justice for every community across the world,” she said.

The Abu Dhabi congress is building on commitments made at the previous Crime Congress in Kyoto, Japan, with the UN seeking to translate those commitments into practical measures capable of producing measurable impact on the ground.

“Building on Kyoto, Abu Dhabi aims to translate commitments into action and impact on the ground,” Juma said.

The congress provides a platform for governments and other stakeholders to discuss emerging criminal threats and develop coordinated responses to transnational organised crime.

Juma said UNODC would remain engaged beyond the Abu Dhabi meeting to support efforts to turn international commitments into action.

“We at UNODC will be part of the journey that moves the world beyond Abu Dhabi,” she said.

The warning places technological change at the centre of the global crime debate, as law enforcement agencies and governments confront criminal networks capable of exploiting digital tools to operate faster and across multiple jurisdictions.