Mozambique: Portugal donates €90K to UNODOC

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Mozambique: Portugal donates €90K to UNODOC

3:35 CAT | 04 Feb 2021

Photo courtesy: @CesarGuedesF

The Portuguese government on Thursday provided 90,000 Euros to support the activities of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Mozambique, with a focus on transnational organised crime.

Portugal’s contribution to UNODC in Mozambique will, among others, support the implementation of the Maputo Roadmap, an initiative aimed at combating drug trafficking, money laundering and transnational organised crime.

Portuguese Ambassador to Mozambique, Maria Amélia Paiva, considered the support a “further sign” of the country’s commitment to multilateralism and “further proof” of its commitment to strengthening its ties with Mozambique.

For UNODC, the Portuguese support comes at a “good time” for its consolidation, as well as benefiting Mozambican institutions fighting organised crime.

“The agreement represents an important milestone for UNODC’s presence in Mozambique, not only because of its generosity, but also because Portugal’s support provides essential means and tools for the performance of our institutional mission,” said the UNODC representative in Mozambique, César Guedes.

“This support will serve especially for training in areas of prevention of transnational organised crime, from drug trafficking, people trafficking, wildlife, as well as the fight against corruption, amongst others,” he added.

In addition to the Maputo Roadmap, the amount made available will be allocated to the UNODC office and the Global Maritime Crime Programme.

“We are convinced that the effort made by Portugal will increase our capacity to intervene in the prevention and fight against crime, which will necessarily involve strengthening the relevant institutions,” concluded Filimão Suaze, Mozambique’s Deputy Minister for Justice.

Mozambique is identified by several international organisations as a corridor for international drug trafficking.

According to the UNODC, the authorities of Kenya and Tanzania, countries north of Mozambique, have increased vigilance in recent years, pushing the traffickers south, towards the Mozambican coast, “in search of new routes and new markets.

Also according to UN figures, the Mozambican authorities have identified about fifty victims of human trafficking in two years, most of them for forced labour.

“O @UNDOC está disponível p/ auxiliar no q/ for preciso o combate ao tráfico e consumo de drogas, ao branqueamento de capitais e à criminalidade organizada em #Mozambique, seguindo as prioridades definidas pelo Governo” @CesarGuedesF, Representante UNODC🇲🇿https://t.co/v7kGbA2doQ

— Nações Unidas em Moçambique (@ONUMocambique) February 4, 2021