UK outlines plans to tackle fraud, organised crime and violence against women at the UN
The United Kingdom has called for stronger international cooperation to tackle organised crime, fraud, migrant smuggling and violence against women and girls during a major United Nations meeting in Vienna.
Speaking at the Thirty-Fifth Session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on 1 June, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Catherine Atkinson MP outlined a series of UK initiatives aimed at addressing emerging cross-border criminal threats. The speech was published by the Ministry of Justice on 4 June.
Addressing delegates, Atkinson congratulated Monica Juma on her appointment as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the UN Office in Vienna. She said international collaboration had become increasingly important as governments faced new and evolving threats.
A significant focus of the UK statement was violence against women and girls. Atkinson said the UK is working with eight countries through the International Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls. She highlighted the government’s strategy to halve violence against women and girls within a decade and pointed to growing concerns over online and digital forms of abuse.
The minister also referenced recent legislation banning so-called “nudification apps” and other forms of non-consensual intimate image abuse. She said the UK was hosting a side event during the commission session to encourage international discussion on digital violence and emerging online threats.
Atkinson highlighted efforts to improve protections for victims of violence across national borders. She welcomed a recent agreement by the Hague Conference on Private International Law to establish a working group based on a UK proposal to examine the recognition and enforcement of protection orders internationally. According to the minister, the initiative could lay the groundwork for a future multilateral framework designed to strengthen protections for victims and vulnerable individuals.
The UK also used the forum to emphasise its commitment to combating fraud and organised crime. Atkinson noted that the UK had been the principal donor to the UNODC-INTERPOL Global Fraud Summit held in Vienna earlier this year and urged countries to follow through on commitments made at the event.
She added that the UK continues to support UNODC programmes targeting organised crime, including the Organised Crime Strategy Toolkit, which has reached more than 1,800 practitioners and supports 20 countries. The government has also committed £1.5 million during the current financial year to initiatives aimed at countering organised crime.
Concluding the statement, Atkinson condemned migrant smuggling and highlighted the UK’s sanctions regime targeting people involved in smuggling and trafficking operations. She said legislative changes had strengthened the UK’s ability to disrupt criminal networks and prosecute those responsible. The minister urged member states to work together on crime prevention and criminal justice challenges facing countries around the world.