ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to cast light on the development of United Nations law against transnational crime. The most important feature of this complex process is the legislative transformation of international concern into binding UN treaty obligations to supress transnational crime. In the context of obligations such as those for countering trafficking in drugs and people, and regulating firearms control, this chapter demonstrates the legally nuanced growth of that international concern, examining various roles including state and non-state actors in that process. The content of ‘international concern’ is broad and vague. Clearly, however, it includes human rights and/or security concerns that may or may not offend fundamental moral values of the international community. Yet in all cases, a transnational offence has an actual or potential harmful effect across national borders.1
