Illicit Trade

About

Money laundering. Terrorist financing. Drug trafficking. Arms smuggling. Illicit trafficking of wildlife, human body parts, and ancient historical artifacts. Tax havens. Proliferation of WMDs. Oil bunkering. Human smuggling and the modern-day slave trade. Conflict minerals and blood diamonds. These are not just abstract terms, but billion-dollar globalized industries that are part of the world’s globally interconnected economy and which overlap with and exacerbate terrorism, war and conflict, corruption, authoritarianism, the decline of the natural environment and other contemporary security threats.

With these considerations in mind, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the University of Groningen (UG) organize the fourth edition of the Summer School on Illicit Trade, which will be delivered online, from 5 to 9 July 2021.

The course curriculum will include the following topics:

- Illicit trade: relevant definitions, types and actors involved
- The global governance of Illicit trade
- Features and consequences of illicit trade
- Illicit trade in illegal goods, with case examples of trafficking in humans, narcotics, and endangered wildlife
- Export control and dual-use goods
- Terrorist financing, illicit finance, offshore finance, and money laundering
- Ethical, political, legal and practical challenges in dealing with illicit trade
- The role of the Darknet and the Internet
- Open source intelligence techniques (OSINT): from the surface to the deep and dark web
- Techniques of investigation and network analysis of illicit trade

This course is delivered online. It combines live webinars in our virtual classroom, led by subject matter experts, with self-paced activities and interactive group discussions.

The live webinars are from 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm CET time (9:00 am – 1:00 pm EST), from Monday to Friday. This is to create a 12-hours cycle during which participants and practitioners can attend the classes, plan their workload to a time that is most suitable, and interact with other participants to complete the assignments.

The live webinars are conducted on a dedicated online platform. Participants need a computer (recommended) or a mobile device with microphone, audio and video capabilities, as well as a reliable internet connection. We recommend accessing audio through the computer. No special software is required. Upon acceptance to the course, participants will be provided with the information to access the platform.

The Summer School offers professional, legal, social, scientific and academic perspectives through live webinars, group discussions, dynamic case studies, individual readings, and practical exercises. The faculty is composed of leading scholars and academics from UG and other universities, as well as international legal experts from the United Nations system, international and non-governmental organizations, and civil society.

Course leader

The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the University of Groningen (UG).

Target group

The Summer School is designed for final year in the undergraduate studies, masters students, PhD students as well as professionals who are interested in learning more about illicit trade.

The course is designed for university graduates in Law, Political Science, International Relations, Economics, Social Science and other relevant disciplines. It is also addressed to young professionals working in governmental institutions, local authorities, international and non-governmental organizations seeking to deepen their understanding of current food security issues. A very good working knowledge of English is required.

Applications from students who expect to graduate from their Bachelor’s studies at the end of the 2021/22 academic year will also be considered.

Course aim

The Summer School pierces the veil of secrecy around issues related to the dark side of globalization and teaches participants about illicit financing and trading. Now in its fourth edition, this exciting course is the first of its kind in teaching illicit trade in a holistic and practically useful way. Participants will learn how to set up offshore companies and bank accounts, obscure the beneficial ownership of assets, exploit the loop-holes of dual-use goods legal systems, and identify vulnerabilities in particular institutions, countries, and jurisdictions. The Summer School includes academic and practical learning about illicit finance, trafficking, and trade, and expert examination into strategies and practices about how to combat illicit trade.

Fee info