UN targets organised crime

The United Nations General Assembly has approved by consensus a treaty aimed at combatting organised crime across national borders.

Countries which sign the treaty will agree to harmonise their laws against organised criminal groups involved in activities such as money laundering, corruption and the obstruction of justice.

Two extra elements of the treaty, which countries will sign separately, are aimed at fighting the trafficking of women and children for sex, and the smuggling of migrant workers.

The treaty against transnational organised crime will be opened for signing at a special United Nations conference in the Sicilian city of Palermo next month. It will only become part of international law after at least forty countries have signed it.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service