Measuring and assessing organized crime in the Western Balkans: supporting evidence based policy making

From the United Nations in Montenegro, I would like to welcome you to this regional training of the UNODC project, “Measuring and Assessing Organized Crime in the Western Balkans” or MACRO.

The UN in Montenegro implement a UN reform at the national level called Delivering as One which is outlined in the Integrated UN Programme and focuses on three key priorities: social inclusion, democratic governance and sustainable economic development, and environmental protection. Within such framework, the UN System merges its capacities, expertise and comparative advantages with the ones of the Government and national and international partners. Specifically, this has resulted in concrete joint efforts to support good governance across the system and strengthen the variety of national capacities to foster EU accession. 

Importantly, we view the MACRO project as responding to Delivering as One in both what we hope to do, and how we want to do it. The MACRO project’s main objective is to produce a framework to measure and monitor organized crime in the Western Balkans. It works horizontally across all government agencies that collect data on crime and criminal justice. These government agencies understand and have access to enormous amounts of data that have never been collected or analysed at the national, regional or international level. The data collection process, which is currently ongoing, is therefore both overdue and ground breaking.

All of this data and information will be fed into a new framework to measure and monitor organized crime. UNODC will then use this framework to analyse trends and patterns and provide baseline data for countless initiatives going forward. This is how the capacities, expertise and comparative advantages of the beneficiary governments and the UN can come together to really push the boundaries of understanding of organized crime, both nationally and regionally. There has been a spirit of excellent cooperation so far with all of the government agencies participating in the project, as well as a proactive and practical approach to finding solutions when necessary. 

Finally, the knowledge gained through the framework on organized crime will be used to formulate evidence-based policy advice. At the end of next year, a regional report will be produced that translates the MACRO framework into practical and actionable steps that governments and policy makers can take to support developments in the rule of law and strengthen the variety of national capacities to foster EU accession, particularly chapters 23 and 24 of the EU aquis.  

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the link of the project with the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. Target 16.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals asks Member States to significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime by 2030. It is very difficult to properly combat something before we have an accurate picture of what it actually is. The MACRO project will support its beneficiaries to start formulating this picture in the Western Balkans. Thank you very much for your participation in this important initiative and I wish you a wonderful week of learning in an excellent atmosphere.