Reports on illicit trafficking

The annual report presents the state of trafficking: number of reports, restitutions, joint operations, trends in targeted property, new networks, States' responses. It includes a statistical part and an analytical part, with recommendations.

Published in May, it is presented to the Assembly and circulated to States, operators and the press. It is available in three languages, with an eight-page summary.

Six thematic studies are published each year: on a type of property, a region, a network or a practice. The latest covered tribal art, free ports, online trafficking, false documents, conflicts and underwater heritage.

Summary notes, shorter, deal with a topical subject or an important decision. They are aimed at decision-makers and busy professionals.

Each report sets out its method: sources, periods, definitions. It states its limits: since trafficking is clandestine, the figures reflect what is detected, not the whole phenomenon. OIMAP therefore presents the data as trends rather than as absolute measures.

A review committee, made up of researchers, magistrates and representatives of States, examines each report before publication. Its comments are published in an annex.

Several recommendations in the reports have been taken up by States: stronger controls in certain free ports, creation of specialised units, training of customs officers, development of digital inventories.

The reports have also inspired developments in the directives, notably on the traceability of property from conflict zones and on the obligations of online platforms.