As Executive Director of UNODC, Monica Juma leads the organization’s efforts to support Member States in addressing the interconnected challenges of organized crime, drug trafficking, corruption and terrorism, while strengthening the rule of law and promoting human rights. In this interview, she shares the importance of people-centered responses to building safer and more resilient communities.
What do you see as the biggest emerging threat to international efforts against organized crime and drug trafficking?
The biggest threat to the response to organized crime is its nature and scale. Organized crime surrounding drug trafficking is becoming more connected and more sophisticated and is operating at an unprecedented scale and depth.
Technology, including artificial intelligence, is accelerating this shift, enabling criminal networks to operate faster, reach more victims, and adapt in ways that place significant pressure on law enforcement efforts.
Furthermore, we are seeing a growing convergence of crimes; the same networks may be involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, terrorist financing, online fraud and money laundering. Criminal networks are exploiting connections between these activities and their supply chains to expand their reach and profits.
This means we have to change the manner in which we frame and respond; key to this is strengthening international cooperation and using technology more effectively to stay ahead of criminal networks.
How can countries work together more effectively when criminal networks operate across borders but legal systems remain largely national?
This is an aspect we need to focus sharply on if we are to help countries respond effectively to the realities of crime today. We are seeing criminal networks operate increasingly across borders and jurisdictions, especially in the digital sphere, but our law enforcement systems, legal procedures and institutions are still largely organized nationally. That is the gap we must bridge if we are to secure people, communities and nations.
UNODC plays an important role as custodians of international standards and we have a large presence in the field, working directly with national counterparts and helping to build the relationships and trust that makes cooperation possible. We can also provide platforms and networks to bring different actors to the table, including the private sector and civil society, who have important insights and roles to play but who may not always be part of the conversation.
What role do you think young people can play in preventing organized crime and drug-related harm?
We need to see young people not simply as victims or those we must protect from crime, but as essential partners in preventing and tackling this threat.
Organized criminal groups often target young people, by exploiting their vulnerability, recruiting them into gangs or forcing them to commit crime.
We have to offer a different path that is built on knowledge, positive role models and a sense that there is a place for them in society.
When it comes to drugs, for example, we know that young people talking openly with one another, sharing experiences and raising awareness can make a real difference. At UNODC, we support prevention approaches that give young people the knowledge and space to make informed choices and help their peers.
The same applies to organized crime. For example, at the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, we saw young people actively engage in discussions and bring their perspectives to the table. They were not simply talking about the future of crime prevention; they were actively helping to shape the responses we need today. That is what we must build on. Young people understand the pressures and opportunities of their generation, especially in today’s digital world. We need to listen to them, involve them in decision-making and give them meaningful opportunities to lead.
If we want safer communities tomorrow, we must give young people a real voice in building them today.
UNODC operates in countries with very different political and legal systems. How does the organization ensure that its work protects human rights while supporting governments in combating crime?
The starting point is clear: human rights and security are not competing priorities, they go hand in hand. Without respect for human rights, the rule of law and public trust, efforts to fight crime risk losing their legitimacy and become less effective.
UNODC works with countries with very different legal systems and national circumstances, and we respect those differences, while grounding our work in the international conventions and standards agreed by Member States, including their obligations under international human rights law.
In practice, this means helping governments strengthen their criminal justice systems in ways that are both effective and fair. It means supporting law enforcement while also strengthening access to justice, promoting due process, improving prison conditions and ensuring that victims are protected, and their rights and dignity respected.
Ultimately, our role is to help countries uphold the rule of law, protect human dignity and strengthen public trust.
How can UNODC ensure that international drug-control policies do not unintentionally worsen inequality?
We have to start by recognizing that drug-related problems do not affect everyone in the same way. The same policy can have very different consequences depending on a person’s circumstances, access to healthcare and support, or vulnerability to discrimination. We see this particularly in the barriers facing women and children; stigma, fear of judgement and discrimination can make it harder for them to get the treatment and care they need.
That is why UNODC promotes balanced, comprehensive and evidence-based responses that address all aspects of the world drug problem, from preventing drug use and expanding access to treatment, to tackling drug trafficking and strengthening justice systems.
To be effective, drug policies must consider the people affected by them. Our goal is to ensure that no one is left behind in accessing treatment, protection and justice, and that our responses reduce harm rather than deepen existing inequalities.
As newly appointed Executive Director of UNODC, what have been your priorities for the first year of your tenure?
My first order of business has been to listen and learn, to hear directly from Member States and our partners about their priorities, to understand where the needs are greatest, and to ask ourselves how UNODC can best help meet them, because our starting point is the people and countries that we serve.
The second is to look hard at how we work. UN80 has given us a unique opportunity to rethink how to optimize our resources, where we can work smarter, and how we can deliver more with what we have. Efficiency is not an end in itself; it must translate into better support for countries and better results on the ground.
And this brings me to my third priority: strengthening UNODC’s value proposition and bringing our mandate closer to the people who need it most. Our field presence is one of UNODC’s greatest strengths. Since joining UNODC I have had the opportunity to undertake field visits to Haiti and Ukraine, which allowed me to see firsthand the realities our colleagues and national counterparts face in crisis settings and, importantly, the value of our support, especially in fragile contexts.
I want to build on that strength and to connect our expertise across UNODC, as well as with the wider UN system, leveraging the synergies that enable us to scale impact for people on the ground and achieve more together.
It is about making sure that our mandate translates into practical and tangible change for countries, for communities and for the people who count on us.