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As deadly as war and as powerful as governments, global organized crime remains in the shadows
When people think of the world’s deadliest threats, armed conflicts usually come to mind first. Yet every year, organized crime quietly claims a comparable number of lives. Since 2000, the UN estimates that organized criminal groups have been linked to about 95,000 homicides annually. That figure is strikingly close to the average annual death toll from…
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Global drug use reaches record high as increasingly potent synthetic drugs spread
“We have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before,” said Monica Juma, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). An estimated 331 million people used drugs in 2024, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of the world’s population aged 15 to 64,…
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Monica Juma: Steering global cooperation at a time of converging threats
The new head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says global cooperation is essential and already adapting as criminal networks become more complex, sophisticated and interconnected. Monica Juma has taken up the dual role of Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United…
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Aid cuts leave at least one million women and girls without vital support
The warning comes in a new report, Beyond the Breaking Point, which finds that those providing essential services to women and girls are being forced to reduce or suspend programmes just as global humanitarian needs reach historic highs. According to the latest figures, around 120 million women and girls worldwide now require humanitarian assistance and protection.…
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New cholera outbreak alert for Sudan’s war-weary communities
“Cholera is back and it’s affecting several states, mainly in the western part of the country, the Darfurs and the Kordofans,” said Dr Shible Sahbani, UN World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Sudan. Briefing journalists in Geneva, the official reported more than 1,330 confirmed cases and 114 deaths from the disease, which is preventable but can…
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World must move faster on Ebola response for DR Congo: UN relief chief
Mr. Fletcher warned that while Ituri province remains the centre of the outbreak, the virus is spreading to other provinces due to conflict and displacement. Since the DRC declared the Ebola outbreak on 15 May, the Bundibugyo species has infected more than 1,700 and killed 600 in the DRC. In neighboring Uganda, authorities have confirmed…
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Restoring dignity: Senegalese surgeon and Burundian foundation win reproductive health awards
The UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, announced on Wednesday that the individual award will go to Professor Serigne Magueye Gueye of Senegal, while the institutional prize will be presented to the Fondation Bonne Action Umugiraneza of Burundi. The annual award recognises outstanding contributions to breakthroughs which boost reproductive health and solve population growth-related…
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As deadly as war and as powerful as governments, global organized crime remains in the shadows
When people think of the world’s deadliest threats, armed conflicts usually come to mind first. Yet every year, organized crime quietly claims a comparable number of lives. Since 2000, the UN estimates that organized criminal groups have been linked to about 95,000 homicides annually. That figure is strikingly close to the average annual death toll from…
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Global drug use reaches record high as increasingly potent synthetic drugs spread
“We have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before,” said Monica Juma, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). An estimated 331 million people used drugs in 2024, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of the world’s population aged 15 to 64,…
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Monica Juma: Steering global cooperation at a time of converging threats
The new head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says global cooperation is essential and already adapting as criminal networks become more complex, sophisticated and interconnected. Monica Juma has taken up the dual role of Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United…