An action oriented strategy against counterfeiting: a major challenge posed by organized crime to the world economy Presentation by Sandro Calvani Director of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute Dubai, 3 February 2008

Overview of the current situation Almost every product on the market could be counterfeited Counterfeiting is a growing phenomenon and estimates on its dimensions are alarming Counterfeiting is extremely profitable for organized crime Organized crime is fully involved in the production and distribution of the counterfeits

Overview of the current situation Sanctions are often not deterrent and counterfeiting is seldom considered as a priority in the law enforcers agenda Counterfeiting creates serious risks for the entire civil society Awareness on the involvement of organized crime is often not sufficient among law enforcers and the general public

Consequences and risks For producers Job losses Social consequences For Governments Risks for the health and safety of consumers Economic consequences

Consequences and risks Counterfeiting is a huge source of profit that finances other illicit activities Counterfeiting has been turned into a mass production activity Intimidation and corruption Counterfeiting is one of the preferred means to launder proceeds of crime Production and distribution of counterfeit products are well organized Organized crime involvement

Priorities Tighten regulations and adopt more deterrent and severe criminal sanctions Improve data collection and analysis Promote the adoption of investigative protocols Organize training and awareness programmes for law enforcers Promote the adoption of computerized risk management systems

Priorities Improve cooperation at all levels Organize awareness campaigns for the general public Promote the adoption of codes of conduct on the part of producers and distributors

UNICRI strategy: the Inter-Agency Permanent Observatory on counterfeiting A common platform to discuss the phenomenon and enhance international cooperation

UNICRI strategy: the Inter-Agency Permanent Observatory on counterfeiting A common platform to discuss the phenomenon and enhance international cooperation Elaboration of specific international and national strategies

UNICRI strategy: the Inter-Agency Permanent Observatory on counterfeiting A common platform to discuss the phenomenon and enhance international cooperation Creation of a set of services to support the global and local responses to counterfeiting Elaboration of specific international and national strategies

UNICRI strategy: the Inter-Agency Permanent Observatory on counterfeiting The set of services Training and awareness Customs cooperation Standards to improve the security of the commodities production and supply chains

United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute Thank You for your attention