04/06/2026
On 2 June 2026, on the margins of the 35th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice ( ) at the Vienna International Centre, UNODC Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROSEN), in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and Security of Côte d’Ivoire, organized a side event entitled:
“From Doctrine to Action: Institutionalizing the Concept of Community Policing and Exchanging Best Practices in West Africa.”
The event was organized within the framework of the project “Institutionalizing Community Policing and Strengthening Cross-Border Cooperation in the SKBo Region”, implemented by UNODC and UNDP under the Integrated Border Stability Mechanism (IBSM) and funded by the Federal Republic of Germany.
The event was opened by Jeremy Douglas, Deputy Director of the UNODC Division for Operations, representing UNODC, Mr. Benjamin Effoli, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Interior and Security of Côte d’Ivoire, and Ms. Kristen Ahlers, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations in Vienna.
In his opening remarks, Jeremy Douglas highlighted that community policing is a governance model grounded in prevention, accountability and trust-building, where communities are considered active partners in threat identification, conflict prevention and social cohesion.
Ms. Ahlers recalled Germany’s support through the Integrated Border Stability Mechanism (IBSM) and emphasized that trust between communities and security institutions is essential to effective security governance, dialogue and information-sharing, particularly in border areas affected by terrorism and transnational organized crime.
High-level representatives from the Ministries of Interior and Security of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal shared their national experiences in advancing community policing and discussed achievements, challenges and ongoing reform efforts in their respective countries.
Across the different presentations, several common themes emerged: the importance of prevention, community engagement, trust-building, early warning mechanisms and partnerships between security institutions, local authorities, civil society and communities.
The discussions also benefited from contributions from representatives of international organizations, civil society organizations, academia and research institutions, including the ICRC, the Observatory on Migrant Smuggling, researchers, practitioners and UN experts.
The exchanges highlighted the value of peer learning and regional dialogue in advancing prevention-oriented security governance and strengthening cooperation among West African countries.
