AUSTRIA – During CCPCJ 2026, several engagements also focused on how countries are responding to increasingly complex forms of crime and strengthening their ability to anticipate emerging challenges.
From firearms trafficking and cybercrime to border management, corruption prevention, criminal justice statistics, and wildlife trafficking, these discussions provided valuable insight into emerging trends, available expertise, and practical approaches that may help inform future policy discussions and strengthen the justice sector’s response to complex challenges.
Several practical themes emerged throughout these discussions, including:
- The importance of collecting and analyzing firearms data to better understand violence trends and strengthen the evidence base for policy discussions on gun-related crime;
- Emerging Caribbean-focused cybercrime initiatives being explored by UNODC and regional partners, and their potential relevance for small island jurisdictions;
- The importance of reliable crime and justice statistics, including data collection standards and indicators that can help policymakers and institutions better understand trends, identify challenges, and measure progress over time;
- How border authorities use intelligence, information-sharing, and risk-based screening to identify potential threats and strengthen border security;
- International approaches to promoting integrity, accountability, and resilience within public institutions; and
- The growing recognition that wildlife trafficking is often connected to larger criminal networks and can provide additional opportunities to disrupt organized criminal activity.
These discussions were held with experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Wildlife Justice Commission, including Ms. Simonetta Grass, Chief of Firearms Trafficking Section; Ms. Siri Bjune, Chief of the Border Management Branch; Wendy O’Brien of the Cybercrime and Technology Branch; Brigitte Strobel-Shaw, Director of the Division for Treaty Affairs; Maria Adomeit, Thematic Support Officer; Mr. David Rausis, Officer-in-Charge of the Data Analytics and Statistics Section; Mr. Markus Schwabe, Statistician; and Lisa Hartevelt, Director of External Relations and Communications at the Wildlife Justice Commission.
For Sint Maarten, the value of these engagements lies not only in the discussions themselves but in maintaining access to expertise, networks, and emerging developments that help inform future decision-making across the justice sector.
