On 23 May, the EU and UNODC met in Brussels to showcase the achievements of the 15 year-long fruitful partnership in combating organised crime and violence within and beyond the EU.

EEAS Acting Deputy Secretary General Belén Martinez Carbonell, noted that “this is an important year to reinvigorate multilateralism with the adoption of the Pact for the Future expected in September”. She added that “human rights, democracy and the rule of law are universal values that underpin the EU’s multilateral engagement” and recognized the “UNODC’s contribution to enhance criminal justice systems, achieve gender equality and empower youth and future generations”. 

Carl Hallergård, the EU Ambassador, underlined that UNODC is a steadfast partner to the EU on the fight against migrant smuggling. He noted that “our cooperation with UNODC is excellent and we welcome that we stepped up our work together to launch concrete actions and activities to support the Global Alliance on migrant smuggling on a truly global scale”.

Further information on the event can be found on the UNODC Website