Ethiopia and UNODC Form Alliance to Tackle Transnational Organized Crimes in Eastern Africa.

Addis Ababa: State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mesganu Arga, received Ashita Mittal, the Regional Representative of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for Eastern Africa, at his office today. During their meeting, they discussed the significant challenges posed by transnational organized crimes in the region, including human trafficking, drug trafficking, trafficking in counterfeit drugs, arms trafficking, contraband trade, and money laundering.According to Ethiopian News Agency, both parties agreed on the necessity to jointly address these challenges that adversely affect the livelihoods of the people in the Horn of Africa. Ambassador Mesganu expressed the Ethiopian Government's ongoing commitment to collaborate closely with UNODC in fighting transnational crimes in a coordinated and cooperative manner. Mittal emphasized that the partnership between UNODC and Ethiopia not only strengthens regional mitigation efforts but also benefits the continent more broadly. She also reass ured the State Minister of UNODC's ongoing capacity building and technical support to Ethiopian institutions in this effort.