United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Global Sustainable Transport Conference
Promoting Sustainable Healthy, Safe and Secure Transport Corridors
Ashgabat, 26-27 November 2016

The Global Sustainable Transport Conference brings together key stakeholders from Governments, UN system and other international organizations, the private sector, and civil society to engage in a dialogue that emphasizes the integrated and crosscutting nature of sustainable transport and its multiple roles in supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also an opportunity to reflect the possible role the sector can play in prevention of transnational organised crime, drug trafficking and terrorism that will help contribute to Goal 16 of SDGs and help build safe, secure and healthy communities for all.

Sustainable transport is an essential building block for sustainable development. It helps drive inclusive growth, provide access to public services, jobs, markets, and it promotes trade.

With increasing globalization of economies, the nature of transnational trade has changed and so have the transnational organised crimes. It is important that Sustainable Transport sector also contributes to the global peace, stability and security by preventing the misuse of the means of transport for trafficking of drugs, transnational organised crimes including wildlife trafficking, trafficking in persons, small arms, money, counterfeit goods and other illegal trade which is a trillions of dollars business.

Over the last decade, economic relations between countries have greatly improved. The introduction of a number of trade agreements that have removed or reduced trade barriers has resulted in a marked increase in trade globally. To regret, the expansion in trade has created more opportunities for drug traffickers to conceal opiates and chemical precursors in licit shipments and to exploit the increase in activity within the trade network at border crossings. Most drug seizures are taking place at the major hubs along the trade and transit trade routes. This suggests that traffickers have been misusing these trade routes to smuggle of drugs to the global market. During the last years, several important heroin seizures have reportedly taken place at Border Crossing Points, suggesting that traffickers are using the weaknesses in legal systems of control and operate with involvement wittingly or unwittingly of the transport sector.

Border crossing points, customs posts, dry ports, seaports and airports play a key role in global trade and in particular in facilitating the movement of goods between different forms of transportation.

UNODC is working in partnership with national governments through a number of initiatives that include UNODC national, regional and global programmes. This includes UNODC Strategy for assisting member states for ensuring state border security including rules of interaction and cooperation with national ministries, state committees and administrative agencies for the establishment integrated border management and strengthening of law enforcement. UNODC has initiated the programme “Countering the trafficking of Afghan opiates via the northern route by enhancing the capacity of key border crossing points and through the establishment of Border Liaison Offices”. Additionally, the UNODC –WCO Global Container Control Programme aims to minimize the utilization of containers for transnational organized crime and illicit trade while facilitating legal trade.

Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) groups deploy sophisticated smuggling method, which, for the most part, have allowed them to transit contraband unimpeded across multiple-international borders.

Every year more than 500 million containers move globally by for freight. Only 2% of these are inspected. In the last 100 years more than 68 billion passenger have moved and taken air flights across different regions, countries and the globe. Today smuggling of migrants, human trafficking and terrorism is a global concern. By increasing vigilance and risk management capacities, equipping and training customs, border services, law enforcement officers and transport sector service providers to better identify and inspect high-risk freight containers and passengers with minimum disruption to legitimate trade, business and movement of people the safety and security and prevention of transnational organised crime can be promoted .

How can the transport sector contribute by building a Global Compact for prevention of transnational organized crime, drugs and terrorism?

• Forge partnerships and links with the private sector, sensitise and equip public and private Transport sector and business community;
• Develops the capability of transport sector to profile, target and examine containers to prevent transport of illicit goods. This includes narcotics; strategic and dual use goods; forest products and wildlife crime; and goods infringing intellectual property rights
• Promote effective information sharing mechanisms between the transport sector, private sector, law enforcement agencies , customs and border policing community;
• With relevant partners, enhance mechanisms for the collection, analysis and dissemination of intelligence and risk assessment. Adopt scanning technology to improve the use of non-intrusive tools for screening
Global Sustainable Transport Sector can help promote development, growth, global peace, stability and security, Build Public Private Partnerships in Transport Sector for Prevention of Transnational organized Crime, Drugs and Terrorism. Move passengers and freight in sustainable manner through development and rule of law.


Ashita Mittal, Regional Representative,
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Central Asia