Prior to the meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna published a report, "Transnational Organized Crime in Central America and the Caribbean."Ahigh-level presentation to ministers and ambassadors from the Central American region discussed the report on September 28, 2012  in New York on the margins of the 67th session of the General Assembly.This study finds that while cocaine trafficking has undeniably catalyzed violence in some areas, the security problem in the region is much deeper, rooted in weakgovernance and powerful sub-state actors.According to the study, cocaine has been trafficked through Central America for decades, but the importance of the region to this flow increased dramatically after 2000 and again after 2006, due to an escalation in Mexican drug law enforcement. The resulting displacement effect underscores the importance of coordinated strategies to addressthe entire contraband flow, so that one country’s success does not become another’s problem.The implementation of the new Mexican security strategy in 2006 has disrupted cocaine supply to the United States market, forcing dealers to cut purity and raiseprices. These changes have deeply undermined United States demand for the drug, but not yet reduced the violence associated with the flow.In response to an increasingly inhospitable environment in Mexico, traffickers have shifted their focus to new routes along the Guatemalan/Honduran borderand contesting new “plazas” throughout the region. Displacement to the Caribbean remains a threat.The contest today is between longstanding organized crime families that effectively govern the remote areas of the countries in which they operate. In addition tococaine trafficking, these groups are involved in a wide range of organized crime activities, and manipulate local politics. If cocaine flows abate, they will seek revenuesfrom other forms of acquisitive crime, such as extortion, which may cause violence levels to increase.The Zetas, the Maras, and other territorial groups appear to be involved in migrant smuggling, human trafficking, and the firearms trade. This involvement mayincrease if cocaine revenues decline.Addressing transnational flows requires international cooperation. Full implementation of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and itsProtocols and the UN Convention against Corruption is critical.National police services cannot resolve the organized crime problems of this region alone, because reducing the contraband flows requires tools they do not possess.Development actors must cooperate in a global strategy to address the problems of drugs and illicit markets.Programmes to build capacity among local law enforcement cannot bring about the rapid results required, due to widespread corruption. The temporary use of armedforces for some law enforcement tasks should not delay police development and reform, including the promotion of civilian oversight. The international communityshould do what it can to supplement local criminal justice capacity.Cross-sectoral crime prevention strategies must be explored. Crime affects all aspects of life, and so a multiagency crime prevention plan, involving the participationof the private sector, should be developed