Topic: 2025-Combating Transnational Organized Crime
Country: Panama
Delegate Name: Abigail McKinney
When it comes to international affairs, transnational organized crime is a topic that requires deep
collaboration between each nation in which involvement of trafficking, smuggling, and
laundering is occurring. According to the most recent Global Organized Crime Index from 2023,
recorded by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the amount of
organized crime has continued rapidly increasing. The Index found that 83% of the current world
population are living in areas that are considered to have high levels of criminality. In order to
combat the issue and gather more insight into where there is the most activity, the United Nations
Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has begun conducting regional studies known as
Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessments (TOCTAs). These assessments help to find
vulnerable regions and discover the reasons that have led to this vulnerability. The Republic of
Panama hopes to work with both the entire UN and primarily those in surrounding geographical
locations to put actions into place that will target problem areas in an attempt to bring down the
amount of transnational organized crime.
There are measures that can be taken both as collaborative and as individual efforts of each
nation that can help to limit the amount of transnational organized crime occurring on each
nation’s territory. By participating in the United Nations Convention against Transnational
Organized Crime, Panama hopes to help pass more protocols that will limit the amount of crime.
In the past, Panama has supported the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in
Persons, especially Women and Children; the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by
Land, Sea and Air; and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of Trafficking in Firearms,
their Parts and Components and Ammunition. On top of these large collaborative efforts, Panama
has also created a Anti-Money Laundering Task Force in a joint effort with the United States in
order to put more resources towards decreasing the amount of money laundering between our
two nations. We also have a National Commission Against Trafficking in Persons, a national
plan that hopes to target one of our nation’s largest issues. Panama is a destination country for
human trafficking, and primarily targeted are women and children for the purpose of sexual
exploitation, along with migrants being trafficked along the Darien Gap.
The Republic of Panama is prepared to put more protections in place for the purpose of stopping
transnational organized crime. We believe efforts should be attempted to prevent the smuggling
of migrants across borders, and find ways to identify and decrease the amount of corrupt officials
helping to facilitate these smuggling efforts. Plans also need to be executed for the purpose of
protecting women and children who have become the victims of sex trafficking across the
borders, and more strict guidelines need to be set as what is to be considered illegal sexual
exploitation. There should be financial regulations suggested for countries to put into place to
prevent the amount of drug activity and money laundering that is able to be conducted without
detection. The borders should also be policed more securely. Panama finds it important that
changes are implemented as a collaborative effort between the nations at this convention, and
that a solid plan to combat high crime rates across borders be put into motion.
