Greetings fellow delegates, respected Chairs, and esteemed guests.

Organized crime threatens multiple facets of the world, including the economy and
national security. In fact, in the United States, the Organized Crime Council was reconvened for
the first time in 15 years to address this continued threat. Following the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, national priorities and federal resources shifted away from more traditional
crime fighting— including that of organized crime—toward counterterrorism and
counterintelligence.
Organized crime could weaken the economy with illegal activities (such as cigarette
trafficking and tax evasion scams) that result in a loss of tax revenue for state and federal
governments. This is particularly of issue given the current state of the country’s economic
health. Fraudulent activities in domains such as strategic commodities, credit, insurance, stocks,
securities and investments could further weaken the already-troubled financial market.
UNODC is currently in the process of finalizing a threat assessment guide to assist
practitioners in the field to identify groups involved in organized crime. If we let these institutions
to grow wild and uncontrolled, they might do unimaginable things that could threaten the peace
of the world. We are hoping for countries to participate in the act of exterminating these corpses
to its deepest roots and end it once and for all.

Thank you.