On 6 May 2019, Ambassador Dr Ugljesa Ugi Zvekic, Permanent Observer of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) to the United Nations Office in Vienna, presented his credentials to Mr Yuriy Fedotov, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
UNODC is the principal entity of the United Nations Secretariat dealing with drugs, crime prevention and criminal justice. Its work encompasses the implementation of the international legal frameworks addressing drugs, transnational organized crime and corruption, as well as the development of standards and norms for criminal justice systems. It also delivers technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives around the world, particularly in developing countries.
EPLO's presence in Vienna enables the Organization to follow and contribute to the work of key United Nations governing and policymaking bodies in these fields. International conventions, protocols, standards and norms relating to drugs, organized crime, corruption and criminal justice form an important part of the broader framework of public law and international governance. Engagement in these areas therefore closely reflects EPLO's mission to promote the rule of law, good governance and strong public institutions.
Among the principal bodies whose work EPLO follows are the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), which meet annually in Vienna, alongside intersessional meetings and related activities.
EPLO also follows the work undertaken within the framework of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocols addressing trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants and illicit firearms, as well as the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Their Conferences of the Parties and States Parties, working groups and review mechanisms provide important international forums for strengthening cooperation and advancing the implementation of international standards.
The Organization also engages with the United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the UN's major global forum in the field, held every five years to facilitate the exchange of expertise and contribute to the development of international policy on crime prevention and criminal justice.
Through its Permanent Observer presence in Vienna, EPLO seeks to contribute its expertise in public law and governance to these international discussions while supporting the exchange of knowledge, experience and good practices across countries and institutions.
