The decade since the 2016 UNGASS has been characterized by increasingly intricate drug markets and the steady erosion of multilateral consensus.

For Africa, this is a decisive moment: a choice between dignity, sovereignty and prosperity, or a deeper descent into insecurity and exploitation.

Synthetic drug and cocaine markets represent an urgent and complex public health, security, and human rights challenge in West Africa. The evidence base regarding their scope, scale, and associated harms has long been fragmented. 

As tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran intensify, the economic and political fallout extends far beyond headline geopolitics into the shadows of illicit markets. This panel will examine how the spectre of regime change may reshape Iran’s political economy, including the role of shadow networks, oil smuggling via the Iranian “shadow fleet”, and sanctions-evasion financial conduits that fund both state and non-state actors. We will unpack how punitive measures intended to weaken Tehran’s strategic capacities may paradoxically fuel corruption, empower elite political actors within illicit markets, and reinforce transnational smuggling and financial channels that undermine both regional stability and international enforcement regimes.

Levels of organized crime have remained stable across Europe while increasing in most other regions, according to the 2025 Global Organized Crime Index.

One year after the US FTO designation, experts find limited impact on criminal behavior, with signs of fragmentation and shifting incentives.

The 69th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) takes place amid significant shifts in both illicit drug markets and geopolitics.

OLAF has supported Albanian authorities in uncovering and stopping the illegal export of hazardous industrial waste from the port of Durrës, Albania to Thailand, highlighting the growing global threat posed by illegal waste trafficking.

In a bleak year for international cooperation, the 2025 G20 summit in South Africa reached a rare point of agreement: environmental crime can no longer be sidelined.

This roundtable discussion will explore ways to address this serious threat at regional and global levels, as well as within multilateral frameworks. The event will feature high-level speakers from the UNODC, INTERPOL, the GI-TOC and various governments.

The boom in online marketplaces for illicit pharmaceuticals poses a severe risk to public health and criminal dynamics across Europe.

The extractive sector does not operate in a vacuum. Organized crime is increasingly intersecting with legitimate extraction, transforming mineral resources into engines for illicit financial flows and regional instability.

As internet access expands rapidly from urban centres to remote villages and islands, children are entering digital spaces that operate beyond the reach of traditional safeguards.

For nearly three years, the fighting in Sudan has largely remained within its borders, even as the conflict has drawn regional support.

As operations spread globally, the GI-TOC will draw attention to these developments and promote innovative efforts to respond at the summit, with a focus on the launch of a new global report on fraud centres.

The US and Israeli military operation launched on 28 February against Iran threatens to profoundly reshape security dynamics across the region.

The Fight Against Fraud Department has ensured, supported and coordinated the fulfilment of Romania's obligations regarding the protection of the financial interests of the European Union.

For the sixth consecutive year, OLAF has facilitated the efforts of customs authorities from 14 EU Member States in Operation SHIELD VI, a coordinated crackdown against the illegal trade of medicines, anabolic steroids, doping substances, and unregulated food supplements.

In his State of the Nation Address on 12 February 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa put organized crime at the top of his agenda, and announced that South Africa would once again be deploying its army to tackle gang violence.

The illicit tobacco trade in Europe has undergone profound changes over the past five years.

Despite being adopted by consensus, with broad support from member states, the UN Convention against Cybercrime has hit an early stumbling block. A clear divide over the participation of non‑state stakeholders has caused the procedural process to grind to a halt, against the backdrop of a UN budgetary crisis.

A new ordinance complements anti-fraud measures aimed at protecting EU financial interests through European funds allocated to Romania under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The rising demand for critical minerals has created parallel opportunities for organized crime.

On 3 - 4 February 2026, OLAF experts delivered a two-day training course in Athens for 100 financial analysts and investigators from the Directorate Αgainst Organised Crime.