Welcome to Underworlds with Mark Shaw.

Organized Crime is everywhere, hidden in plain sight. The stories from this world have been mythologised by Hollywood. But the reality can be even stranger and more exciting than fiction.

From the golden age of the American mafia (La Cosa Nostra), to the modern-day cocaine empires, and from the shadowy links between organized crime and terrorism, to the twilight of the Yakuza.

In this series Mark Shaw, the Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime delves into non-fiction books about organized crime and the illicit economy with the authors themselves. He asks questions about their background and investigations, but also the challenges associated in writing about this murky world.

This episode explores the importance of gender equality and gender sensitive policies and programmes in national and international responses to organized crime, including how these issues are approached in multilateral negotiations. Ian Tennant speaks to Ambassador Corinne Kitsell, an experience British multilateral diplomat, who is currently the UK's Permanent Representative to several international organizations in Vienna.

Presenter: Ian Tennant, Director of Multilateral Engagement, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Speakers:

H.E. Corinne Kitsell, UK Permanent Representative in Vienna.

Additional Links:

UN-TOC Watch - UN-TOC Watch aims to support the UN and wider multilateral system so that it can respond more systematically to the threats posed by organized crime and help mitigate its impact in the areas such as conflict and violence, the environment, migration and cyberspace.

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

On 29 July 2024, the reconvened session of the Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) to conclude negotiations on a new UN convention on cybercrime began. The AHC is mandated to submit a draft convention to the UN General Assembly by 9 August. Since the AHC began its negotiations in 2022, competing visions for this convention have not been reconciled. Some countries have pushed for a treaty with a narrow scope and clear rights protections and safeguards. Others, who have pushed for an expanded instrument with intrusive and far-reaching powers. This special episode discusses the role of safeguards in promoting cooperation. Leading experts in international cooperation explain the need for safeguards and how the convention can help develop a common understanding of minimum guarantees to build trust between states and enable cooperation.

Presenter: Ana Paula Oliveira, Senior Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Speakers:

Michael Daniel, President & CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance.

Marika McAdam, an independent international law and policy advisor

This second podcast episode on cybercrime and critical technologies in South East Asia starts to explore what the possible regional and indeed global responses might be to tackling these entrenched and growing threats. With the support of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our partner, Lydekker, the GI-TOC has been exploring the specific vulnerabilities and challenges of these trends in South East Asia and exploring, with an expert multistakeholder group what best practises might exist in order to combat them.

Louise talks to Helena Huang and Horest Au-Yeung, two regional experts, to hear their perspectives on the responses that their respective organisations are seeing, supporting and delivering.

Presenter: Louise Taylor, Asia-Pacific Representative, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Guests:

Helena Huang Yixin, Associate Research Fellow, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)

Horest Au-Yeung, Coordinator of Asia & South Pacific Desk, Cybercrime, INTERPOL

Additional Reading

A dream deferred or a near miss? UN committee postpones decision on cybercrime convention

Cyber Convention Check-in

This episode explores the challenges that cybercrime and the exploitation of critical technologies pose in Indonesia and the Philippines and the broader South East Asia region. With the support of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our partner, Lydekker, the GI-TOC has been engaging across the region to understand the specific vulnerabilities and challenges that these growing threats pose to the populations and governments in South East Asia. Louise talks to Giselle Hernandez and Tio Syamsuri, two regional experts, to hear their perspectives on the challenges faced by their respective countries, and whether these threats pose a broader and more global threat.

Presenter: Louise Taylor, Asia-Pacific Representative, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Guests:

Giselle Hernandez, State Solicitor, Office of the Solicitor General of the Philippines (presenting in her personal capacity)

Praswistiadi (Tio) Syamsuri, Senior Expert on Financial Inclusion, RISE Indonesia.

Additional Reading

A dream deferred or a near miss? UN committee postpones decision on cybercrime convention

Cyber Convention Check-in

This episode reflects on what was supposed to be the concluding session of the UN’s ad Hoc committee that had been set up to negotiate a new convention on cybercrime. Following seven negotiating sessions over two years, each lasting two weeks and costing almost a million dollars each for the UN, member states have not come to agreement on what the convention should do, or even what it should be called. Ian talks to Summer Walker and Ana Paula Oliveira, who represented GI-TOC at the 7th AHC in January and February, to get their take on what happened, hear their insights they drew from being in the room, and talk about what happens next.

Presenter: Ian Tennant, Director of Multilateral Engagement, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Guests:

Summer Walker, Head of Multilateral Affairs, NY, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Ana Paula Oliveira, Senior Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Additional Reading

A dream deferred or a near miss? UN committee postpones decision on cybercrime convention

Cyber Convention Check-in

In this episode, Ian talks to William O'Neill, the UN's designated expert on the human rights situation in Haiti. In the context of the escalating and untrammelled gang violence in Haiti, and the unprecedented security and human rights crisis, O'Neill explains how the multilateral system is responding. How will the multinational police mission led by Kenya work? What are the human rights priorities? And what effect with targeted sanctions have?

Presenter:

Ian Tennant, Head of Vienna Multilateral Representation & Resilience Fund, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Guests:

William O'Neill, the United Nations designated expert on the human rights situation in Haiti.

Additional Links

Illicit economies and the UN Security Council

Haiti Country Profile

(GI Paper) Gangs of Haiti: Expansion, power and an escalating crisis

(GI paper) Gang control and security vacuums: Assessing gender-based violence in Cité Soleil, Haiti

(GI Blog) New sanctions target Haiti gangsters

Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

The Global Organized Crime Index

This episode explores how 'ECOSOC consultative status' enables NGOs to engage on policy issues at the UN, and how GI-TOC finally gained its accreditation earlier this year. The episode also discusses the challenges NGOs face in gaining this status, and in more generally engaging in multilateral settings.

Presenter(s):

Ian Tennant, Head of Vienna Multilateral Representation & Resilience Fund, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Guests:

Tuesday Reitano, Deputy Director, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Maithili Pai, UN Advocate, International Service for Human Rights

Additional Links

Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

The Global Organized Crime Index