BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:unctad.org
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:6a58aa7eed1aa
DTSTART:20220906T080000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20220906T160000Z
LOCATION:Geneva\, Switzerland
SUMMARY:2nd Illicit Trade Forum
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Following the inclusion of illicit trade as the only new area o
 f work in the outcome document of UNCTAD15\, the Bridgetown Covenant\, UNC
 TAD will host the second iteration of the Illicit Trade Forum in September
  2022. The event will be organised in collaboration with the Transnational
  Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT).\n\nIllicit trade significantly
  endangers all aspects of the SDGs\, creating a triple threat to the finan
 cing of development: crowding out legitimate economic activity\, depriving
  governments of revenues for investment in vital public services and incre
 asing the costs of achieving the SDGs by eroding the progress already made
 . Further\, identifying\, quantifying and combatting illicit trade require
 s significant investments from member States and collaboration amongst int
 ernational organisations\, along with cooperative efforts from private sec
 tor stakeholders.\n\nTo address these issues\, the two-day Forum will hold
  interactive panel discussions on the following topics:\n\n\n\nIllicit tra
 de in times of crises\n\nWhether it is a conflict\, natural disaster\, fin
 ancial shock\, or a pandemic\, crises of all kinds have proven to be oppor
 tunities for criminal profiteering. Increased vulnerability of both produc
 ers and consumers\, stresses on public services provisions and enforcement
  frameworks\, changing enforcement priorities\, unsatisfied demand\, disto
 rted supply chains\, and spiking demand for particular products all create
  conditions in which criminal networks thrive.\n\nThe COVID-19 pandemic is
  a prime example. It has fundamentally reshaped the demand for goods and s
 ervices worldwide\, including through the medium of illicit trade. Economi
 c stress\, the public health emergency and disinformation-driven panic hav
 e pushed many customers\, and vendors\, towards the shadow economy. While 
 the pandemic’s immediate effect was predictably to slow down all forms o
 f economic activity\, including the illicit trade\, studies suggest that c
 riminal groups have swiftly adapted to the new normal exploited the situat
 ion and entrenched their positions in illicit markets.\n\nAs governments m
 ove from crisis management into recovery mode\, it is important to formula
 te policies and implement programs that deter and preclude forces of illic
 it trade from taking root in a post-crisis economy. The ability of United 
 Nations bodies to support Member States to better defend against illicit t
 rade and organized crime is critical in their pursuit of sustainable devel
 opment.\n\nThis session raises awareness about the growing threat that ill
 icit trade poses during economic\, health\, environmental and conflict cri
 ses and draws attention to new strategies to fight this phenomenon.\n\n\nM
 itigating illicit trade through maritime transport\n\nContainerized mariti
 me transport is the backbone of globalization\, accounting for more than 7
 0% of total value of world trade. Containerized maritime transport offers 
 a range of logistical and technological solutions that benefit both consum
 ers and businesses. Unfortunately\, container transport can also be abused
  for illicit trade. Moreover\, the present crisis has aggravated existing 
 problems\, enabling criminals to exploit governance gaps. Legitimate conta
 inerized maritime trade is threatened\, more than ever\, by international 
 organized crime groups who operate along legitimate maritime trade supply 
 chains.\n\nAbuse of containerized maritime transport in illicit trade is n
 ot a stand-alone problem\, and a coordinated approach to address it is req
 uired. This effort will involve all relevant actors\, including policymake
 rs\, international organizations\, enforcement authorities\, the trade com
 munity\, and industry. There is also a compelling need for the maritime in
 dustry to intensify protection of its sector/supply chain from exploitatio
 n by illicit traders and to mitigate illicit trade.\n\nThis session will d
 iscuss the growing interest in enhancing the role that container shipping 
 will play\, while spurring trade\, in closing potential governance gaps th
 at might lead to its abuse. This is particularly relevant in the context o
 f post-COVID recovery\, and the instrumental role that trade will play in 
 this process. It may also entail recognizing the important commonalities t
 hat characterize illicit trade patterns.\n\n\nTrade in falsified medicines
 : a danger to health and development\n\nSubstandard and falsified medical 
 products are a serious and growing threat to global health security\, hamp
 ering efforts to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 
 of achieving universal access to safe and effective essential medicines. T
 he involvement of organized crime in illicit trade in pharmaceuticals is a
  direct threat to SDG target 16.4\, which calls on countries to “combat 
 all forms of organized crime.” In particular\, the rapid growth in illic
 it sales online sales\, including online pharmacies established for the pu
 rpose of selling fake or otherwise fraudulent pharmaceuticals\, has provid
 ed criminals with new entry points into consumer markets worldwide – inc
 luding those in countries with well-regulated markets.\n\nCriminal actors 
 have become involved in all aspects of the pharmaceutical supply chain –
  from manufacturing to distribution. Organized criminal networks involved 
 in pharmaceutical crime have also been found to use the profits from falsi
 fied medicine operations to subsidize other illicit activities\, including
  money laundering\, human trafficking for sexual exploitation and weapons 
 smuggling.\n\nThis session will highlight the best practices of governance
  and co-operation with the pharmaceutical industry that is paramount for e
 nsuring legal\, effective distribution of genuine medicines and vaccines. 
 Policy recommendations will be made for governance frameworks to counter i
 llicit trade\, which is a challenge for many governments.\n\n\nIllicit fin
 ancial flows related to trade\, tax\, and criminal activities\n\nIllicit f
 inancial flows (IFFs) are financial flows that are illicit in origin\, tra
 nsfer or use\, that reflect an exchange of value and that cross country bo
 rders. IFFs cover a wide range of different activities\, including drug ma
 rkets\, terrorist financing\, aggressive tax avoidance – but they all dr
 ain resources and limit countries’ capacity to follow through the 2030 D
 evelopment Agenda. With defining IFFs conceptually in UNCTAD and UNODC Con
 ceptual Framework for statistical measurement of illicit financial flows\,
  approved by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDGs (IAEG-SDGs)\, metho
 dological aspects are yet to be resolved.\n\nAs an illicit phenomenon\, IF
 Fs are not easy to track or measure. They take many forms and use varying 
 channels\, rendering their measurement challenging both conceptually and i
 n practice. The challenges differ across countries\, depending on main typ
 es of IFFs affecting the country\, data availability\, mandates of nationa
 l institutions\, statistical capacity and national policy priorities. Whil
 e international comparability is central to SDG reporting\, the measuremen
 t of IFFs requires space for country-specific solutions and the flexible a
 pplication of methods in line with the common framework. In June 2021\, UN
 CTAD published Methodological Guidelines to Measure Tax and Commercial IFF
 s for pilot testing\, developed based on extensive deliberations within th
 e Task Force. They identify methods for the measurement of the main types 
 of tax and commercial IFFs in country pilots and will be refined during an
 d after the pilot tests.\n\nThis session will invite representatives from 
 stakeholders involved in African pilot countries to share their experience
  on the measurement of IFFs related to trade. The session mainly targets r
 epresentatives from customs and revenue authorities\, central banks\, fina
 ncial intelligence units\, anti-corruption agencies\, criminal justice bod
 ies and national statistics offices.\n\n\n\nThe UNCTAD secretariat will al
 so present a work programme of potential areas for cooperation and collabo
 ration to address illicit trade and work towards fulfilling the newly awar
 ded mandate.\n\nThe Forum will encourage an active dialogue involving a wi
 de range of stakeholders\, including member States and representatives fro
 m IGOs\, NGOs\, academia and the private sector. Delegates will be encoura
 ged to share their own experiences\, views and best practices.\nhttps://ww
 w.tracit.org/\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/meeting/2n
 d-illicit-trade-forum
DTSTAMP:20260716T095510Z
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:6a58aa7eed1f8
DTSTART:20220907T080000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20220907T160000Z
LOCATION:Geneva\, Switzerland
SUMMARY:2nd Illicit Trade Forum
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Following the inclusion of illicit trade as the only new area o
 f work in the outcome document of UNCTAD15\, the Bridgetown Covenant\, UNC
 TAD will host the second iteration of the Illicit Trade Forum in September
  2022. The event will be organised in collaboration with the Transnational
  Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT).\n\nIllicit trade significantly
  endangers all aspects of the SDGs\, creating a triple threat to the finan
 cing of development: crowding out legitimate economic activity\, depriving
  governments of revenues for investment in vital public services and incre
 asing the costs of achieving the SDGs by eroding the progress already made
 . Further\, identifying\, quantifying and combatting illicit trade require
 s significant investments from member States and collaboration amongst int
 ernational organisations\, along with cooperative efforts from private sec
 tor stakeholders.\n\nTo address these issues\, the two-day Forum will hold
  interactive panel discussions on the following topics:\n\n\n\nIllicit tra
 de in times of crises\n\nWhether it is a conflict\, natural disaster\, fin
 ancial shock\, or a pandemic\, crises of all kinds have proven to be oppor
 tunities for criminal profiteering. Increased vulnerability of both produc
 ers and consumers\, stresses on public services provisions and enforcement
  frameworks\, changing enforcement priorities\, unsatisfied demand\, disto
 rted supply chains\, and spiking demand for particular products all create
  conditions in which criminal networks thrive.\n\nThe COVID-19 pandemic is
  a prime example. It has fundamentally reshaped the demand for goods and s
 ervices worldwide\, including through the medium of illicit trade. Economi
 c stress\, the public health emergency and disinformation-driven panic hav
 e pushed many customers\, and vendors\, towards the shadow economy. While 
 the pandemic’s immediate effect was predictably to slow down all forms o
 f economic activity\, including the illicit trade\, studies suggest that c
 riminal groups have swiftly adapted to the new normal exploited the situat
 ion and entrenched their positions in illicit markets.\n\nAs governments m
 ove from crisis management into recovery mode\, it is important to formula
 te policies and implement programs that deter and preclude forces of illic
 it trade from taking root in a post-crisis economy. The ability of United 
 Nations bodies to support Member States to better defend against illicit t
 rade and organized crime is critical in their pursuit of sustainable devel
 opment.\n\nThis session raises awareness about the growing threat that ill
 icit trade poses during economic\, health\, environmental and conflict cri
 ses and draws attention to new strategies to fight this phenomenon.\n\n\nM
 itigating illicit trade through maritime transport\n\nContainerized mariti
 me transport is the backbone of globalization\, accounting for more than 7
 0% of total value of world trade. Containerized maritime transport offers 
 a range of logistical and technological solutions that benefit both consum
 ers and businesses. Unfortunately\, container transport can also be abused
  for illicit trade. Moreover\, the present crisis has aggravated existing 
 problems\, enabling criminals to exploit governance gaps. Legitimate conta
 inerized maritime trade is threatened\, more than ever\, by international 
 organized crime groups who operate along legitimate maritime trade supply 
 chains.\n\nAbuse of containerized maritime transport in illicit trade is n
 ot a stand-alone problem\, and a coordinated approach to address it is req
 uired. This effort will involve all relevant actors\, including policymake
 rs\, international organizations\, enforcement authorities\, the trade com
 munity\, and industry. There is also a compelling need for the maritime in
 dustry to intensify protection of its sector/supply chain from exploitatio
 n by illicit traders and to mitigate illicit trade.\n\nThis session will d
 iscuss the growing interest in enhancing the role that container shipping 
 will play\, while spurring trade\, in closing potential governance gaps th
 at might lead to its abuse. This is particularly relevant in the context o
 f post-COVID recovery\, and the instrumental role that trade will play in 
 this process. It may also entail recognizing the important commonalities t
 hat characterize illicit trade patterns.\n\n\nTrade in falsified medicines
 : a danger to health and development\n\nSubstandard and falsified medical 
 products are a serious and growing threat to global health security\, hamp
 ering efforts to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 
 of achieving universal access to safe and effective essential medicines. T
 he involvement of organized crime in illicit trade in pharmaceuticals is a
  direct threat to SDG target 16.4\, which calls on countries to “combat 
 all forms of organized crime.” In particular\, the rapid growth in illic
 it sales online sales\, including online pharmacies established for the pu
 rpose of selling fake or otherwise fraudulent pharmaceuticals\, has provid
 ed criminals with new entry points into consumer markets worldwide – inc
 luding those in countries with well-regulated markets.\n\nCriminal actors 
 have become involved in all aspects of the pharmaceutical supply chain –
  from manufacturing to distribution. Organized criminal networks involved 
 in pharmaceutical crime have also been found to use the profits from falsi
 fied medicine operations to subsidize other illicit activities\, including
  money laundering\, human trafficking for sexual exploitation and weapons 
 smuggling.\n\nThis session will highlight the best practices of governance
  and co-operation with the pharmaceutical industry that is paramount for e
 nsuring legal\, effective distribution of genuine medicines and vaccines. 
 Policy recommendations will be made for governance frameworks to counter i
 llicit trade\, which is a challenge for many governments.\n\n\nIllicit fin
 ancial flows related to trade\, tax\, and criminal activities\n\nIllicit f
 inancial flows (IFFs) are financial flows that are illicit in origin\, tra
 nsfer or use\, that reflect an exchange of value and that cross country bo
 rders. IFFs cover a wide range of different activities\, including drug ma
 rkets\, terrorist financing\, aggressive tax avoidance – but they all dr
 ain resources and limit countries’ capacity to follow through the 2030 D
 evelopment Agenda. With defining IFFs conceptually in UNCTAD and UNODC Con
 ceptual Framework for statistical measurement of illicit financial flows\,
  approved by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDGs (IAEG-SDGs)\, metho
 dological aspects are yet to be resolved.\n\nAs an illicit phenomenon\, IF
 Fs are not easy to track or measure. They take many forms and use varying 
 channels\, rendering their measurement challenging both conceptually and i
 n practice. The challenges differ across countries\, depending on main typ
 es of IFFs affecting the country\, data availability\, mandates of nationa
 l institutions\, statistical capacity and national policy priorities. Whil
 e international comparability is central to SDG reporting\, the measuremen
 t of IFFs requires space for country-specific solutions and the flexible a
 pplication of methods in line with the common framework. In June 2021\, UN
 CTAD published Methodological Guidelines to Measure Tax and Commercial IFF
 s for pilot testing\, developed based on extensive deliberations within th
 e Task Force. They identify methods for the measurement of the main types 
 of tax and commercial IFFs in country pilots and will be refined during an
 d after the pilot tests.\n\nThis session will invite representatives from 
 stakeholders involved in African pilot countries to share their experience
  on the measurement of IFFs related to trade. The session mainly targets r
 epresentatives from customs and revenue authorities\, central banks\, fina
 ncial intelligence units\, anti-corruption agencies\, criminal justice bod
 ies and national statistics offices.\n\n\n\nThe UNCTAD secretariat will al
 so present a work programme of potential areas for cooperation and collabo
 ration to address illicit trade and work towards fulfilling the newly awar
 ded mandate.\n\nThe Forum will encourage an active dialogue involving a wi
 de range of stakeholders\, including member States and representatives fro
 m IGOs\, NGOs\, academia and the private sector. Delegates will be encoura
 ged to share their own experiences\, views and best practices.\nhttps://ww
 w.tracit.org/\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/meeting/2n
 d-illicit-trade-forum
DTSTAMP:20260716T095510Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR