Result of Service

Under the supervision of the Chief of Section and the delegated authority of designated staff, the Individual Contractor will perform the following tasks:
i. Assist in the development of a commented structure for the issue paper, which will be used as guideline when drafting the issue paper.
ii. After approval of the commented structure by UNODC, support the drafting of the issue paper on linkages between illicit firearms and drug trade.
iii. Contribute to the presentation the preliminary findings of the issue paper during an official launching event, which will take place on a date to be defined in coordination with the Individual Contractor, in Vienna, Austria, or in a virtual setting.

Work Location

home based

Expected duration

10.05-31.07.2023

Duties and Responsibilities

Firearms trafficking does not happen in a vacuum but is driven by supply and demand. On the supply side, illicit firearms, their parts and components and ammunition have a price-tag. For criminals and trafficking networks involved in their distribution, they are lucrative trafficking commodities. In contrast, those that purchase illicit firearms need them as tools to perpetrate power and undermine the rule of law and local government as well as facilitators of violent crime and terrorism. As such illicit firearms are intrinsically linked to the activities of petty criminals, organized criminal groups and terrorists. Extortion, robbery and kidnapping at gunpoint are only the most obvious manifestations of interlinkages between illicit firearms and criminal activities. Oftentimes, different forms of criminality are intertwined, such as human, firearms and drugs trafficking.

In this blend of criminal activities, illicit firearms have emerged as a cross-cutting and multi-faceted security threat and impediment for a sustainable development. Responding to this reality requires the United Nations, donors and implementing countries to better understand not only illicit arms flows, but in particular how these flows intersect with other forms of organized crime and how efforts to combat illicit firearms flows can be integrated in holistic and integrated law enforcement and criminal justice responses.

The UNODC Firearms Trafficking Section (FTS), through its Global Firearms Programme (GFP), assists Member States in preventing and countering transnational illicit trafficking in firearms through the ratification and implementation of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition (Firearms Protocol), supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
The FTS works in different complementary clusters, which include legislative and policy development on firearms; preventive and security measures; criminal justice response to firearms trafficking; international cooperation and information exchange on firearms; and monitoring illicit firearms flows.

One of the underlying principles of UNODC’s initiative to monitor illicit firearms flows and identify trends and patterns in illicit firearms trafficking and related crimes is that of bringing the information back to its Member States, with a view to establish informed and evidence-based policies in the fight against illicit trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition.

Furthermore, in its Strategy 2021-2025, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime strives to intensify efforts to understand and share knowledge pertinent to preventing and tackling organized crime such as the trafficking in firearms. This commitment is paired with the aim to increase cross-sectoral approaches and more systematic coordination across all thematic areas to develop innovative and evidence-based responses. In line with these endeavours, the FTS through its EU-funded project “Countering transnational illicit arms trafficking through the implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its Firearms Protocol” has committed to conduct focused research on the links between illicit firearms trafficking and misuse and other forms of transnational organized crime.

In light of the above, UNODC will produce a series of issue papers to look more in depth at how illicit arms flows and their misuse interrelate with different manifestations of organized crime and how responses to these phenomena can be better integrated in criminal justice responses in a more holistic manner. The purpose of the paper is also to identify possible technical assistance gaps and requirements and to inform future programming priorities of UNODC FTS in this field. These crimes include inter alia: drugs trafficking; diversion in arms transfers; illicit financial flows and other financial crimes; corruption; human trafficking and smuggling in migrants; terrorism; crimes against the environment; cybercrime; new technologies.

One of these Issue paper will be devoted to ““Illicit firearms, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants”.

Qualifications/special skills

High school diploma or equivalent is required. A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in political or social sciences, police sciences, security studies or related area is desirable.
A minimum of two (2) years of experience in scientific research, including review of literature required.
Experience in managing and analyzing complex, high-volume data from varying sources is required.
Experience in research and drafting analytical outputs related to organized crime, firearms trafficking, firearms/drugs criminality and/or drug trafficking, research or teaching on organised crime is desirable.
Experience with data visualization is desirable.
Experience producing analytical publications according to UN standards is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English, i.e. oral and written proficiency, is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations Secretariat language is an advantage.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.