The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the lead body in the UN system for international cooperation on drugs and on the fight against transnational organized crime and corruption.
The intergovernamental bodies of reference for UNODC are the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), which are functional commissions of ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council of the United Nations), established respectively in 1946 and 1992. The CND supervises the application of the three UN drug conventions and the implementation of international commitments to address the global drug problem, while the CCPCJ is the main UN forum on crime prevention and criminal justice. They meet on an annual basis. Italy is currently a member of both Commissions, with mandates that started in 2024 and will end inl 2027 (CND) and in 2026 (CCPCJ) respectively.
Every five years, the CCPCJ prepares the United Nations Crime Congress. The 14th edition of the Congress was held in Kyoto from 7 to 12 March 2021. The next session will be held in the UAE in 2026.
UNODC also serves as the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), also called Palermo Convention, and the Additional Protocols against Trafficking in Persons, Smuggling of Migrants and Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms. It also acts as the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), also called Merida Convention. Both conventions have their own Conference of the Parties that is convened on a regular basis (generally every two years): COP UNTOC meets in even years in Vienna, COSP UNCAC in odd years in the candidate country to host it.
Furthermore, in December 2024 the UN General Assembly adopted a new International Convention against the use of means of information and communications technology systems for criminal ends (cybercrime), for which UNODC acts as secretariat. The Convention was opened for signature in October 2025 in Hanoi (“Hanoi Convention”) and is currently in the process of being signed and then ratified by Member States.
Finally, the Terrorism Prevention Branch provides technical assistance to the Member States to promote the application of international legal instruments in preventing and combating terrorism.