UNICRIHQ 8d ago

The side event “From Local Patterns to Global Insights: Exploring Interregional Crime and Justice Trends” was held on the margins of the 35th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), bringing together representatives of Member States, international organizations, research institutions and practitioners to examine emerging crime and justice trends across regions. Organized by UNICRI in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Italy to the International Organizations in Vienna, the event provided a platform to discuss the findings of UNICRI’s ongoing interregional comparative study on crime and criminal justice trends and to explore how regional developments increasingly shape global security and justice dynamics. Opening remarks were delivered by H.E. Ambassador Debora Lepre, Permanent Representative of Italy to the International Organizations in Vienna, and Leif Villadsen, Acting Director of UNICRI. The programme featured presentations by Giordana Lucente, Associate Expert at UNICRI, and Leonid Lantsman, Strategic Trends Analyst at UNICRI, who introduced the methodology and key findings of the study. Expert contributions were provided by Willem Els, Senior Training Coordinator of the ENACT Organized Crime Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Ntasha Bhardwaj, Director of the South Asian Institute of Crime and Justice Studies (SAICJS), Tariq Khosa, Director of the Centre for Governance Research (CGR), and Cecilia Vassena, Legal Expert at the Permanent Mission of Italy to the International Organizations in Vienna. Discussions highlighted the impact of technological developments, cyber-enabled crime, illicit financial flows, geopolitical instability and evolving forms of organized crime on regional and global security landscapes. The event underscored the importance of interregional analysis, evidence-based research and international cooperation in supporting effective crime prevention and criminal justice responses.