On 11 November 2025, UNU will host “Organized Crime at a Crossroads: The New Dynamics Shaping Responses to Organized Crime”, a conversation with Dr. Mark Shaw, Executive Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. This event will start at 18:30 in the 1F Annex Space at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
Organized crime thrives worldwide. It operates across borders, exploits vulnerable people and undermines global security. As the world faces significant challenges from violent conflicts, climate change and the rise of AI, organized crime cuts across all issues. The latest edition of the Global Organized Crime Index revealed that criminality is evolving in the modern world. With all forms of organized crime shifting online, its reach and capability of harm is increasing. In recognition of these shifts, there is an urgent need for further research on organized crime to understand these changing criminal markets and ecosystems. Most importantly, pioneering innovative strategies to tackle these issues are at the heart of progress on international peace and security.
Dr. Mark Shaw will join UNU Rector Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala for a discussion on building strong, resilient responses to organized crime. As organized crime evolves across borders and becomes increasingly digitized, how can countries share leadership and responsibility to ensure collective security? How have technological innovations, including the advancement of AI, changed patterns of crime? What leadership role can Japan play in responding to global organized crime?
The UNU Conversation Series aims to foster audience participation; you are encouraged to engage with the speakers during the conversation and at the reception that will follow, where all event attendees are invited to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks while exchanging ideas and making new contacts.
Please note that this event will be in English. Advance registration (by 10 November at 15:00) is required. Please click on the REGISTER button above to access the online registration page. Please be prepared to present identification at check-in.
About the Speaker
Dr. Mark Shaw is a widely recognized expert on global organized crime and illicit markets. He is the Executive Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. He was previously the National Research Foundation Professor of Justice and Security at the University of Cape Town, Centre of Criminology.
Mark worked for ten years at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, including as Inter-regional Advisor, Chief of the Criminal Justice Reform Unit and with the Global Programme against Transnational Organized Crime, with extensive field work.
Before joining the UN, Mark held a number of positions in the South African government and civil society where he worked on issues of public safety and urban violence in the post-apartheid transition. He has published widely on organized crime, security and justice reform issues. He is a Board Member of the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (affiliated with the United Nations), in Helsinki.
