The United Nations has studied the phenomenon of organized crime and its transnational manifestations for the last two decades. This book documents the United Nations' work at the technical and political levels, believing that it merits attention by governments and experts on organized crime. This comprehensive compilation of documents, organized in reverse chronological and sequential order, is intended as a useful research tool as well as a reference source for governments, experts, and all persons interested in addressing the international threat of organized crime. Over the last 20 years, the United Nations has sought to strengthen international cooperation against organized crime, as evidenced by the UN work presented in this compilation. The issue and its various aspects have been debated and analyzed by successive United Nations congresses on the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders, starting with the Fifth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention held in 1975. This Congress focused on crime as business at the national and transnational levels: organized crime, white-collar crime, and corruption. The UN documents presented provide the reader with a comprehensive view of the way various issues regarding organized crime developed over the years and how the thinking of governments has progressed, as well as what steps have been taken in both the perception of the problems and in strengthening international cooperation.