UNIS/NAR/908
23 June 2005
UNODC Executive Director Launches Study on Crime and Development in Africa
VIENNA, 23 June (UN Information Service) -- Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), launched a study entitled Crime and Development in Africa today at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., United States.
As developed nations turn their attention to Africa as one of the remaining regions of poverty in the world, this study sheds new light on the insecurity that haunts a continent, and its possible global impact. The data presented in this study covers domestic and global criminal activities, ranging from money-laundering to corruption, trafficking in human beings and drugs, illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms, as well as the connection between these areas and the creation and maintenance of child militias in Africa. The study presents, for the first time, a comprehensive picture of insecurity in Africa, and examines how the international community can contribute to a safer, stronger Africa.
As world leaders set the agenda for promoting African development, questions of physical and economic security cannot be ignored. Can the African countries get all the way to the finish line and declare victory over crime and violence? UNODC believes the answer is yes, if the political will is there, and resources are made available to translate policy into real-world projects and programmes.
The full study is available on the Internet at: http://www.unodc.org/.
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For more information, contact:
Kathleen Millar, Deputy Spokesperson, UNODC
+43 1 26060 5629
kathleen.millar@unodc.o
