VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister Retno: adaptation and international cooperation are key to resolve transnational crimes

Organized crimes continuously happen even in the health aspect such as drug counterfeiting and cyber-attacks on vital health infrastructure amid the coronavirus pandemic. This was stated by Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi in her speech at the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) which was held virtually from the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday (13/11).

This commemoration was also attended by Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres and President of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir. Minister Retno conveyed 3 points to face the challenges of transnational organized crime. First, there is no one-size fits all solution that can handle all types of organized crimes. She also emphasized that the characteristics of transnational organized crimes tend to be different from one country to other countries. Therefore, the approach taken must be situational.

Second, it’s important to build and maintain cooperation among countries globally. Particularly, Minister Retno also delivered about the issues of Rohingya refugees as a form of crime of smuggling and organized human trafficking in the region. Currently, Indonesia is accommodating more than 900 people who have become victims of human trafficking and displaced on the high seas. Indonesia re-emphasizes the importance of solving the Rohingya problem from the root of the problem through voluntary, safe and dignified repatriation. Third, the approaches and solutions taken must experience adaptation based on the characteristics of crimes. In this regard, Minister Retno re-affirmed   the importance of continuous adaptation so that the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) remains relevant in handling organized transnational crimes both now and in the future.