Noboa urges global action on transnational crime at UN General Assembly

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa used his address at the United Nations General Assembly to press for coordinated international action against transnational organized crime, arguing that criminal networks now operate across borders more effectively than the states trying to stop them.

Noboa said the weapons reaching his country's streets pass through multiple countries, the money backing criminal groups is laundered far from where crimes occur, and trafficking routes for drugs, people and illegal mining span continents. Criminal organizations, he noted, already share routes, logistics, finances and technology among themselves.

"It is unacceptable that criminal organizations should cooperate with one another more effectively than States do," he said, describing the situation as one the UN must recognize and address.

The Ecuadorian president argued that organized crime can no longer be treated purely as a policing matter. Where it controls territory and infiltrates institutions, he said, it displaces legitimate authority, weakens the rule of law and destabilizes societies — and when it affects several countries at once, it becomes a threat to international peace and security.

To counter the threat, Noboa put forward three proposals. The first is an international mechanism within the UN framework to track and freeze illicit financial flows linked to transnational organized crime. The second is a permanent platform for information exchange among police forces, public prosecutors' offices and financial intelligence units, so that states can anticipate threats rather than react to them. The third calls for the One 80 initiative to treat transnational organized crime as a priority for conflict prevention and to give the organization the capacity to assist states that request support.

Noboa also drew attention to environmental crime, saying the Galápagos Islands — a heritage site for all humanity — are threatened by illegal fishing networks that operate with the same logistics and financial resources as other criminal enterprises. Illegal mining in the Amazon, he added, destroys forests while funding criminal organizations. Protecting nature, he said, is also a question of security, and he invited other countries to join Ecuador's efforts.

Turning to artificial intelligence, Noboa said the technology could transform education, raise productivity and help close long-standing gaps, but warned it could also deepen inequality or be exploited by those seeking to undermine institutions. He called for international governance that permits innovation without compromising values and ensures that those with fewer resources are not left behind.