Govt, UN Drugs and Crime Agency Sign Agreement to Establish Major Office in Kampala

What the report says

Uganda and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have signed a Host Country Agreement to set up a major UNODC office in Kampala. According to Nile Post, the agreement was signed on Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters by Foreign Affairs Minister Adonia Ayebare and UNODC Regional Representative for Eastern Africa Ali Farouk Elbereir.

The planned office is meant to support efforts against transnational organised crime and is expected to expand UNODC’s presence in Uganda. The article says the office will work on organised crime, wildlife trafficking, people smuggling, cybercrime, money laundering and corruption, while also helping strengthen regional cooperation and broader security initiatives.

Elbereir said the Kampala office is expected to become one of UNODC’s three largest offices globally, citing Uganda’s strategic importance and stability. Ayebare welcomed the move, saying it would help strengthen national institutions and support law enforcement in disrupting criminal networks. The report also notes that the two sides discussed Uganda’s chairmanship of the Khartoum Process, with attention to migration, crime prevention and related regional challenges.

More broadly, the agreement signals closer cooperation between Uganda and UNODC at a time when governments in the region are trying to respond to cross-border crime and illicit financial flows. The new office is intended to provide a stronger platform for those efforts and for future UNODC programmes in the country.