Organized crime has boomed over the past 20 years, with transnational criminal markets thriving across a range of sectors, from narcotics and arms trafficking to human trafficking and environmental crime. In conflict-affected states, organized crime can function as a "spoiler," undermining peace processes and state capacities, delegitimizing governments and driving instability and violence. Addressing organized crime is of particular importance for peace operations and other peacebuilding endeavors in conflict-affected and fragile states.
This research project explores past multilateral efforts for responding to transnational organized crime in conflict-affected and fragile states. The research project comprises two country case studies, considering the impact of transnational organized crime and trafficking in the Central African Republic and in Mali, as well as a policy brief considering these dynamics at a global level.
The global Policy Brief, published in August 2024, takes stock of past multilateral efforts to counter transnational organized crime and considers future directions for a more concerted and effective response.
The case study on Mali, published in September 2024, explores some of the challenges to countering transnational organized crime in Mali, focusing primarily on the United Nations Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), but also considering the challenges faced by other multilateral actors and initiatives.
The case study on transnational organized crime dynamics in the Central African Republic is forthcoming in fall 2024.
