Consider the following statements:

1. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) has a ‘Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air’.

2. The UNCAC is the everfirst legally binding global anti-corruption instrument.

3. A highlight of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is the inclusion of a specific chapter aimed at returning assets to their rightful owners from whom they had been taken illicitly.

4. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is mandated by its members States to assist in the implementation of both UNCAC and UNTOC.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

The correct option is 2 and 4 only.

Let us analyze each statement to determine its correctness:

Statement 1 is incorrect:
The 'Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air' is a protocol under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), not under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

Statement 2 is correct:
The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is indeed the first legally binding global anti-corruption instrument. It covers five main areas: preventive measures, criminalization and law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange.

Statement 3 is incorrect:
The inclusion of a specific chapter aimed at asset recovery (returning illicitly acquired assets to their rightful owners) is a major highlight of UNCAC (Chapter V), rather than UNTOC.

Statement 4 is correct:
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) serves as the guardian of both the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). It is mandated by member states to assist in the implementation of both conventions.

Therefore, only statements 2 and 4 are correct.