On 19-20 October, the Council of Europe participated in the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC COP13), held in Vienna, reaffirming its commitment to international co-operation, the rule of law and the protection of human rights.
Rafael Benitez, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment, participated in the conference and delivered the Council of Europe’s statement during the General Discussion, highlighting the importance of strengthening international legal frameworks to address serious and transnational crime.
For nearly eight decades, the Council of Europe has developed legal instruments to combat serious crime, including corruption, cybercrime, human trafficking, money laundering and environmental crime. The Council of Europe’s participation in UNTOC COP13 provided an opportunity to underline the importance of coordinated international action in tackling criminal activities that cross national borders.
Environmental crime was a particular focus of the Council of Europe’s contribution. Such crimes contribute to biodiversity loss, threaten human health, fuel organised criminal networks and undermine the rule of law. Addressing these challenges requires effective legal frameworks, stronger international cooperation and robust mechanisms to ensure accountability.
In this context, the Council of Europe highlighted its new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law, which provides a comprehensive legal framework to strengthen criminal accountability for environmental offences, while promoting prevention, international co-operation and the protection of victims and whistleblowers.
The new Convention was also discussed at a Council of Europe–United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) side event entitled “Joining Forces to Combat Environmental Crime”. Co-sponsored by the European Union, Cyprus, France, Latvia, Montenegro, Portugal and Sweden, the event highlighted the need to strengthen collaboration among international and regional organisations to improve responses to environmental crime.
The Council of Europe called for commitments to be translated into concrete action, emphasising the importance of closer cooperation between existing international legal frameworks, including UNTOC, and encouraging countries worldwide to join its Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law.
Through its participation in UNTOC COP13, the Council of Europe reaffirmed its commitment to protecting people, the environment and the rule of law through effective international cooperation and stronger legal responses to organised crime.
This participation also contributed to the implementation of Objective 4 of the Council of Europe Strategy on Environment 2025–2030, which focuses on the prevention and prosecution of environmental crime.
Read the statements delivered by Rafael Benitez, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment at UNTOC COP13 in Vienna:
Joining Forces to Combat Environmental Crime: From International Commitments to Concrete Action
