Advancing Public-Private Partnerships: Countering Illicit Economies and Crime Convergence – Spotlighting the Victims of Illicit Trade

In the coming months through numerous initiatives, projects, conferences, media interviews, and strategic communications, ICAIE will be advancing public-private partnerships to counter illicit economies and crime convergence, and bringing greater attention to the victims of illicit trade and related harms.

Illicit economies are not harmless and can have tremendous human, economic, societal and security costs and consequences. Illicit economies come with vulnerabilities to peace and security — including corruption, violence, chaos, organized crime, terrorist financing and instability.

Illicit economies are the lifeblood of today’s bad actors, enabling kleptocrats to loot their countries, criminal organizations to co-opt states and export violence and terrorist groups to finance their attacks against our societies.

Illicit economies are pervasive threats that undermine democracy, corrode the rule of law, fuel impunity, imperil effective implementation of national sustainability and economic development strategies, contribute to human rights abuses and enflame violent conflicts.

Across today’s global threat environment, criminals and bad actors exploit natural disasters, human misery and market shocks for illicit enrichment.

The lucrative criminal activities enabling and fueling the multitrillion-dollar illicit economies include the smuggling and trafficking of narcotics, opioids, weapons, humans, counterfeit and pirated goods; illegal tobacco and alcohol products; illegally harvested timber, wildlife and fish; pillaged oil, diamonds, gold, natural resources and precious minerals; and other contraband commodities.

Such contraband and illicit goods are sold on our main streets, on social media, in online marketplaces and on the dark web every minute of every day.

The United Nations has estimated that the dirty money laundered annually from such criminal activities constitutes up to 5 percent of global gross domestic product, or $4 trillion.

The International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) recognizes that illicit economies and crime convergence are threat multipliers that ripple across borders and imperil supply chain security, market integrity, democratic freedoms and institutions and systems of open, free and just societies.

Learn more about ICAIE: Join the Fight and Be a Part of Our Coalition and Global Community:
https://icaie.com/