Vienna hosts the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UN convention against organised crime

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Vienna hosts the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UN convention against organised crime

27 October 2026

The 13th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) opened in Vienna on 19 October 2026. Monica Juma, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which is headquartered in Vienna, addressed the opening and said organised crime is finding new ways to turn vulnerability into profit. She called for the UNTOC Review Mechanism to adapt to changing criminal activity. UNTOC has 195 states parties. More than 2,000 participants from over 130 countries were expected at the session, and ten reviews under the UNTOC Review Mechanism were completed in the past year.

Session: 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) States parties to UNTOC: 195 Participants expected: over 2,000 from over 130 countries Venue: Vienna

Why it matters for exams: UNTOC is the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and UNODC, its secretariat, is headquartered in Vienna - both are standard International Organisations questions.

Kerala PSCUPSC

27 October 2026 Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

In plain words

UNTOC United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime — The main global treaty against organised crime, serviced from Vienna.

UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime — The UN office in Vienna that handles drugs, crime and terrorism prevention.