On 26 April 2023, UNU will host “UNICRI Lessons from Conflict Zones”, a BIG IDEAS Dialogue with Antonia Marie De Meo, Director of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). This event will start at 12:00 in the 2F Reception Hall at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
Using examples drawn from UNICRI’s work, Ms De Meo will join UNU Senior Vice-Rector Sawako Shirahase to discuss how a vacuum in state control during and after conflict creates fertile ground for organized crime and terrorism to flourish. The event will explore the nexus between armed conflict and organized crime, and the tragic synergies between terrorism and cross-border crimes.
Particular examples that will be discussed include smuggling and corruption in Libya; the threat of climate change to security in the Sahel; arms trafficking, human trafficking, and cybersecurity in Ukraine; and the five types of transnational organized criminal activity prevalent in Afghanistan.
The event will provide an opportunity to learn from an expert and to share ideas on how we can promote peace and ensure justice for all as called for by Sustainable Development Goal 16.
Please note this event will be in English; Japanese interpretation will not be provided. Advance registration by 25 April is required.
Additionally, please be prepared to present identification at check-in.
About the speaker
Antonia Marie De Meo is Director of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), an autonomous UN research and training institute that works globally to implement research and capacity building programmes in both traditional and emerging areas of crime prevention, criminal justice, security and the rule of law.
A trial lawyer by training and former prosecutor, Ms De Meo has more than than twenty years of experience in rule of law and human rights, including criminal justice and crime prevention, gender equity, and child and migrant rights. Prior to joining UNICRI is 2020, she served as Chief of the Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Service at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and as Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Libya.
She previously worked with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sri Lanka and Sudan; the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Sudan; the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Palestine, Iraq, and Jordan; the Mission to Moldova of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); and the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ms De Meo holds a Juris Doctor degree from Lewis and Clark Law School, a Master’s degree from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, a Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College.
About the series
The BIG IDEAS: SDGs Dialogue Series introduces the people, projects, and organisations behind shared efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each event features leading representatives and researchers from international organisations, UN agencies, and UNU institutes to stimulate discussion on sustainable development issues and initiatives. The events provide a unique opportunity for young researchers, graduate students, and civil society to become more familiar with SDG-related topics, ask questions, and learn how they can contribute to local and global SDG progress.
