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STORY: UN / UNODC JUMA INTERVIEW
TRT: 05:08
SOURCE: UN NEWS / UNODC
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 11 JUNE 2026, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT, VIENNA AUSTRIA
11 JUNE 2026, NEW YORK CITY
1. Various shots, Secretary-General António Guterres and Monica Juma during her swearing-in ceremony as UNODC Executive Director
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Monica Juma, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General, UN Office at Vienna:
“UNODC is, as you know, one of the Secretariat institutions that is mandated by member states to focus in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice system, dealing with transnational organized crime, corruption, terrorism trafficking of humans and drugs and so forth. And basically, with the general task of helping member states to create a capacity for the entire criminal justice system so that we can deliver safety, protection and justice for all.”
3. Med shot, Guterres and Juma photo op
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Monica Juma, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General, UN Office at Vienna:
“There is a general consensus about the value proposition of UNODC, that this is an organization with the right mandate at the right time, in terms of the risk portfolio that is facing the world over. And I think this consensus is also based on the realization that I have heard from many member states and many actors that no single sector, no single country, no single region can do it alone. So, I think here in we have a nucleus for actually building very strong international cooperation and multilateralism.”
RECENT, VIENNA AUSTRIA
5. Med shot, Juma being greeted upon arrival at UNODC HQ
11 JUNE 2026, NEW YORK CITY
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Monica Juma, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General, UN Office at Vienna:
“The terrain we are in is very complex. So, part of it is to share the information and the trends as we are seeing them in our research and analysis, so that we can bring the right information in a world that is characterized by disinformation, yeah, in order that member states can take the right decisions at this time.”
RECENT, VIENNA AUSTRIA
7. Med shot, Juma being greeted upon arrival at UNODC HQ
11 JUNE 2026, NEW YORK CITY
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Monica Juma, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General, UN Office at Vienna:
“Abu Dhabi is happening to help us project to have a plan for the next five year. So, it is important in terms of guiding member states into the next set. Now, we just finalized the 35th Commission on Crime Prevention in Vienna last week. And in that commission, three resolutions were adopted on sextortion, on fraud, and on trafficking of persons for criminal activity. And I think that sets a very good foundation into as we go on to Abu Dhabi. The most interesting thing is that, I mean, talking about a... Threat to multilateralism. All three resolutions were adopted by consensus. So, you can see that there is a concurrence about the need to work together.”
RECENT, VIENNA AUSTRIA
9. Med shot, Juma arriving at UNODC HQ
11 JUNE 2026, NEW YORK CITY
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Monica Juma, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General, UN Office at Vienna:
“We are having crime, creating webs of engagement. So, it's no longer the time when we are saying terrorism, terrorism happens at the corner there, you know, alone. And guess what? And these homicides, you know, it's some crazy things going on there. Now, seemingly, you're having money laundering linked to illicit finance, drug trafficking. The money for drug trafficking is hidden in some places, okay? And this money is used to support terrorist activities. So, those networks, those criminal networks of transnational crime groups are being deployed in various spheres, you know, in a very intricate and sophisticated way.”
RECENT, VIENNA AUSTRIA
11. Pan right, Juma arriving at UNODC HQ
11 JUNE 2026, NEW YORK CITY
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Monica Juma, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General, UN Office at Vienna:
“I think technology is a double-edged sword for us. I think we are in the reality where the innovation is running ahead of governance. And I think this is why cooperation is so important, because you can't just do it alone. And it is not just cooperation among member states only; it is also with industry. So that we can begin to say what does ethical AI look like, you know? What is the AI that promotes protection, respect for human rights, dignity and sustainable justice? What does it look like? I mean, and that conversation you would have to do.”
RECENT, VIENNA AUSTRIA
13. Pan right, Juma arriving at UNODC HQ
Global cooperation is essential as criminal networks become more complex, sophisticated and interconnected, according to the new Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna, Monica Juma, who took office last month.
As Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna (UNOV), she represents the Secretary-General in one of the Organization’s major duty stations beyond its New York Headquarters. And as Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), she leads global efforts to strengthen crime prevention and criminal justice.
That mandate, she told UN News, is rooted in helping countries confront drugs, corruption, terrorism, human trafficking and transnational organized crime – with the ultimate aim of delivering “safety, protection and justice for all.”
Juma formally took office last month and was sworn in by Secretary-General António Guterres last Thursday, succeeding Ghada Fathi Waly of Egypt.
She stressed that there is a growing recognition that “no single sector, no single country, no single region can do it alone”, a realization that forms “a nucleus for building stronger international cooperation and multilateralism”.
Juma noted that “the terrain we are in is very complex” and said “part of it is to share the information and the trends as we are seeing them in our research and analysis so that we can bring the right information in a world that is characterized by disinformation” in order that member states “can take the right decisions at this time.”
This shifting landscape will shape the next United Nations Crime Congress, to be held in Abu Dhabi in September. Convened every five years, the Congress provides a forum for governments and partners to assess trends in crime prevention and criminal justice, and to set priorities for the years ahead.
The UN official pointed to the recent unanimous adoption of three resolutions – sextortion, fraud and trafficking in persons for criminal activity – at the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna as evidence that, even under pressure, multilateralism can still deliver consensus.
She said, “Abu Dhabi is happening to help us project to have a plan for the next five years. So, it is important in terms of guiding member states into the next set. Now, we just finalized the 35th Commission on Crime Prevention in Vienna last week. And in that commission, three resolutions were adopted on sextortion, on fraud, and on trafficking of persons for criminal activity. And I think that sets a very good foundation into as we go on to Abu Dhabi. The most interesting thing is that, I mean, talking about a threat to multilateralism. All three resolutions were adopted by consensus. So, you can see that there is a concurrence about the need to work together.”
Juma pointed out that criminal networks now operate across borders, sectors and technologies. Drug trafficking, illicit financial flows, money-laundering, corruption, trafficking in persons and terrorism are increasingly intertwined, “creating webs of engagement” that demand equally connected responses.
Among the issues rising to the top of the agenda is the impact of the digital age.
Juma described technology as “a double-edged sword”, noting that “the reality is that innovation is running ahead of governance”. Bridging that gap, she said, will require closer collaboration between governments and industry.
Juma has taken up the dual role of Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna.
Before joining the United Nations, Juma served as Kenya’s first National Security Adviser and Secretary to the National Security Council. Earlier roles included senior ministerial and principal secretary positions across foreign affairs, defence, interior and energy. Her career has also been shaped by multilateral diplomacy and academic research.
