A/CONF. 187/6 powerful groups engaged in transnational criminal goods and the movement of people across borders easier activities, but they are far from monopolizing such Illegal traffickers take advantage of these developments activities. Similarly, attention should not be focused solely using parallel or overlapping commercial routes. This may trafficking in human beings or stolen goods and the transnational criminal activity own transport firms ana? on conventional activities such as the drug trade, explain why so many groups that are involved laundering of illegal proceeds. Transnational crime may import-export businesses well transcend such conventional activities and take on 14. Causes of crime are always hard to establish, more complex features. It may, for example, mingle with although some remarks on transnational organized crime entrepreneurial and, at times, governmental deviance. This can be attempted. It could be tentatively sugge occurs when legally produced goods are illegally marketed, many types of transnational crime are causeaBi.sted that as in the case of smuggling nuclear material, armaments, pharmaceutical products, tobacco, alcohol, food and so on. (a) The great economic disparity existing in the This also occurs when the illegal marketing of goods world. One consequence of that disparity is that, in many produced in one country is supported by the complicity of countries, large sections of the population are lured into corrupt politicians in a country in which those goods are producing illegal goods. Many people are also vulnerable officially banned to physical exploitation, for example in the form of 10. Transnational organized crime includes tax evasion. prostitution, by criminal organizations. Moreover, poor the forgery of clothes and electronic equipment, frar countries offer attractive markets for goods that are stolen against international financial institutions. unfair inmore affluent ones. Simultaneously, advanced countries owing to high production costs and/or high taxes, often competition on international markets, industrial espionage, expand the hidden sectors of their economy and employ the import and export of protected plants and animals, cheap unregistered workers; industrial waste. It also involves not only illegal activities (b) Political conflicts erupting in many countries by terrorist groups or organizations but also the violation and regions, which generate widespread violence and of sanctions and embargoes imposed on countries by the encourage trafficking in human beings and illegal arms international community and includes aggression against Countries at war may have a financial interest in other countries in the form of war and genocide forms of crime, such as the illegal import of arms. In doing o, they establish illicit partnerships with other countries 11. Most transnational criminal activity is accompanied by such illegal acts as the corruption of officials, which 15. Hence, one controversial issue is the extent to which facilitates both the commission of an offence and its more economically advanced countries foster transnational concealment, and money-laundering, through banking crime. For example, in respect of illicit drugs, many institutions or off-shore agencies. A final concern is that officials in developed consuming countries are prone to perpetrators of transnational organized crime are willing attribute responsibilities to producing countries and fail to and able, as necessary, to use violence for the pursuit of consider how a preexisting pharmacological culture their interests allowed illicit drug use to develop. They also overlook the demand side of the equation, focused as they are and on the assumption that proceeds generated by illicit drugs are V. Controversial issues only appropriated by foreign producers and large distributors. They thus consider the considerable revenues 12. In the past few decades, the transnationalization of generated by illicit drugs within the consuming countries criminal activity has increased substantially. The increase themselves is due not only to the geographical distance over which 16. A second controversial issue is that transnational crimes are committed but also to the frequency with which organized crime is seen by many officials to be the result criminals operate across regional and national borders. of the growing numbers and variety of individuals and This development is not taking place in isolation but is part groups reaching more economically advanced countries of the general process of globalization Since such individuals and groups arrive from places 13. Economic interdependence and the increase in scattered around the world, and often from countries in international economic exchange make the transfer of transition turmoil, they are perceived as being difficult to control and impervious to integration. TheA/CONF.187/6 3 powerful groups engaged in transnational criminal activities, but they are far from monopolizing such activities. Similarly, attention should not be focused solely on conventional activities such as the drug trade, trafficking in human beings or stolen goods and the laundering of illegal proceeds. Transnational crime may well transcend such conventional activities and take on more complex features. It may, for example, mingle with entrepreneurial and, at times, governmental deviance. This occurs when legally produced goods are illegally marketed, as in the case of smuggling nuclear material, armaments, pharmaceutical products, tobacco, alcohol, food and so on. This also occurs when the illegal marketing of goods produced in one country is supported by the complicity of corrupt politicians in a country in which those goods are officially banned. 10. Transnational organized crime includes tax evasion, the forgery of clothes and electronic equipment, fraud against international financial institutions, unfair competition on international markets, industrial espionage, the import and export of protected plants and animals, trafficking in works of art and the illegal dumping of toxic industrial waste. It also involves not only illegal activities by terrorist groups or organizations but also the violation of sanctions and embargoes imposed on countries by the international community and includes aggression against countries in the form of war and genocide. 11. Most transnational criminal activity is accompanied by such illegal acts as the corruption of officials, which facilitates both the commission of an offence and its concealment, and money-laundering, through banking institutions or off-shore agencies. A final concern is that perpetrators of transnational organized crime are willing and able, as necessary, to use violence for the pursuit of their interests. IV. Controversial issues 12. In the past few decades, the transnationalization of criminal activity has increased substantially. The increase is due not only to the geographical distance over which crimes are committed but also to the frequency with which criminals operate across regional and national borders. This development is not taking place in isolation but is part of the general process of globalization. 13. Economic interdependence and the increase in international economic exchange make the transfer of goods and the movement of people across borders easier. Illegal traffickers take advantage of these developments using parallel or overlapping commercial routes. This may explain why so many groups that are involved in transnational criminal activity own transport firms and/or import-export businesses. 14. Causes of crime are always hard to establish, although some remarks on transnational organized crime can be attempted. It could be tentatively suggested that many types of transnational crime are caused by: (a) The great economic disparity existing in the world. One consequence of that disparity is that, in many countries, large sections of the population are lured into producing illegal goods. Many people are also vulnerable to physical exploitation, for example in the form of prostitution, by criminal organizations. Moreover, poor countries offer attractive markets for goods that are stolen in more affluent ones. Simultaneously, advanced countries, owing to high production costs and/or high taxes, often expand the hidden sectors of their economy and employ cheap unregistered workers; (b) Political conflicts erupting in many countries and regions, which generate widespread violence and encourage trafficking in human beings and illegal arms. Countries at war may have a financial interest in other forms of crime, such as the illegal import of arms. In doing so, they establish illicit partnerships with other countries. 15. Hence, one controversial issue is the extent to which more economically advanced countries foster transnational crime. For example, in respect of illicit drugs, many officials in developed consuming countries are prone to attribute responsibilities to producing countries and fail to consider how a preexisting pharmacological culture allowed illicit drug use to develop. They also overlook the demand side of the equation, focused as they are and on the assumption that proceeds generated by illicit drugs are only appropriated by foreign producers and large distributors. They thus consider the considerable revenues generated by illicit drugs within the consuming countries themselves. 16. A second controversial issue is that transnational organized crime is seen by many officials to be the result of the growing numbers and variety of individuals and groups reaching more economically advanced countries. Since such individuals and groups arrive from places scattered around the world, and often from countries in transition or in turmoil, they are perceived as being difficult to control and impervious to integration. The