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Global illicit trade’s impacts range from the expansion of organized crime and the financing of terrorist groups to rising corruption to endangered public health and welfare to increased state fragility. The illicit trade in otherwise licit goods (including alcohol, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, cigarettes, electronics, and much more) threatens the stability, security, and prosperity of vulnerable states around the world, especially in the Global South. Without actionable solutions, states that are on the edge of functionality – “on the cusp” – can be undermined. How can public- and private-sector stakeholders coordinate and cooperate to address this issue? What roles can civil society, the media, and the general public play in solving the problem? What role do emerging technologies play in providing solutions?

Please join us on Friday, October 23, from 12-1 p.m. EDT, for the launch of a groundbreaking study at the nexus of illicit trade, organized crime, and official corruption in the Global South. The report, entitled “States on the Cusp”, is partly the result of intensive field work conducted in Southern Africa and Central America, focusing on case studies of illicit trade in cigarettes and pharmaceuticals, and provides an analytical framework for understanding global illicit trade—and how to combat it.

The event is hosted by the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Foresight, Strategy and Risks Initiative. The Foresight, Strategy, and Risks Initiative (FSR) provides actionable foresight and innovative strategies to a global community of policymakers, business leaders, and citizens. Using cutting-edge tools like data analytics, scenario modeling, and simulation exercises, as well as engaging experts and the public, FSR makes clear how today’s weak signals become the driving force in tomorrow’s reality. 

To participate, please register below. Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join. To join the Q&A with the panelists, use the hashtag #StatesOnTheCusp or email Ms. Anca Agachi at fsr@atlanticcouncil.org. Follow the Atlantic Council on Twitter at @AtlanticCouncil, the Scowcroft Center at @ACScowcroft and Foresight, Strategy and Risks at @ACForesight.

Panel: Finding solutions to illicit trade’s corrosive effects in developing economies 

Featuring

Tuesday Reitano
Deputy Director
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Simone Haysom
Senior Analyst
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Franklin Binns
Pharmacist
Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social
Founder
www.microbiologiafarmaceutica.com

Franck Chartier-Dumas
Business Development Director
SICPA

Moderated by

Peter Engelke
Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council