United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

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United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a United Nations agency that was originally founded in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. The UNODC was established to help the UN to address the interrelated issues of illicit-drug control, crime prevention, and international terrorism in all its forms. This intent is fulfilled through three primary functions: research, lobbying state government to adopt various crime and drug based laws and treaties and assistance of said governments on the ground level.

The agency, employing about 500 staff members worldwide, is headquartered in Vienna with 21 field offices and a New York City liaison office. The agency is led by an Executive Director appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General. Presently, that position is filled by Antonio Maria Costa, an Italian native who also holds the position of Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna. The long-term aims of the body are to better equip governments to handle drug and crime related issues, maximise knowledge on the issues among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of states, and also to maximise awareness amongst the general population. Approximately 90% of the Office's funding comes from voluntary contributions, mainly from governments.

In October 2002, the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) was merged into the UNODC.