DATE / TIME:

2022•03•22    09:00 - 11:30

UNU-CPR is co-hosting a virtual conference with the German Federal Foreign Office of Germany and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) on Illicit Economies, Armed Conflict and Instability.

The relationship between illicit economies, conflict and instability has been part of the international policy agenda for some time. From the diamond trade in Sierra Leone to the heroin trade in Afghanistan, illicit economies have been shown to fund insurgencies and political actors, and to contribute to ongoing conflict. Many countries presently on the Council’s agenda have illicit economies that international actors are mandated to address. Responses to these conflicts have included a combination of national, regional and international interventions. However, international interests – multilateral and bilateral – can be different for illicit economies (particularly those linked to transnational flows) than for conflict. This event will focus on cases where armed conflict and illicit economies intersect and consider the dynamic relationship between the two.

Welcome Remarks – 3:00 – 3:15 PM (CET)

• Federal Foreign Office of Germany
• Dr Adam Day, Director of Programmes, Centre for Policy Research, United Nations University
• Event Moderator: Dr. Mark Shaw, Director, GI-TOC

Panel One: Illicit Economies and Armed Conflict: Presentations and Policy Implications – 3:15 – 4:15 PM (CET)

• Illicit Economies and Armed Conflict: 10 dynamics – Summer Walker, New York Representative, GI-TOC
• Northern Mozambique Threat Assessment – Alastair Nelson, Conservationist, and Senior Analyst, Observatory of Illicit Economies in Eastern and Southern Africa, GI-TOC

Respondents:

• Renata Segura, Deputy Director Latin America and the Caribbean, International Crisis Group
• Borges Nhamirre, Researcher, Institute for Security Studies
• Ettanibi Alemika, Professor of Criminology, University of Jos, Nigeria

Panel Two: Consequences for Responses and Capacity-Building Efforts on the Ground – 4:15 – 5:15 PM (CET)

• Organized Crime: West African Response to Trafficking Program (OCWAR-T)
• Amado Philip de Andres, Regional Representative in Dakar, UN Office on Drugs and Crime
• Tjark Egenhoff, Resident Coordinator Guinea-Bissau, UN Development Programme
• Dr Judith Vorrath, International Security Division, German Institute for International and Security Affairs
• Gifty Mensah, Women’s Situation Room (WSR) International Coordinator (in charge of Youth) at the Angie Brooks International Center

Closing Remarks – 5:15 – 5:30 PM (CET)

• Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director, Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs, UN Office on Drugs and Crime

Register here to book your place