COMMISSION TAKES MAJOR STEPS TO BOOST CRIME PREVENTION AT ANNUAL MEETING IN VIENNA
Press Release
SOC/CP/212
COMMISSION TAKES MAJOR STEPS TO BOOST CRIME PREVENTION AT ANNUAL MEETING IN VIENNA
19990507 (Reissued as received.)VIENNA, 7 May (UN Information Service) -- The United Nations main policy-making body for crime prevention has firmly backed work on a new international treaty against transnational organized crime, together with its three protocols aimed at trafficking in firearms, women, children and migrants, and reached agreement on several other major issues at its annual meeting in Vienna.
The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice urged the Vienna-based Centre for International Crime Prevention (CICP) to complete the treaty -- the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime -- and its protocols in time for the Millennium General Assembly in the year 2000.
"I know there is a commitment and the necessary momentum needed to complete work on the Convention and its protocols in time for adoption at the Millennium Assembly", Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, told delegates in a closing statement.
Once preparatory work on the treaty has been completed by a CICP ad hoc committee, the Italian Government will be hosting a conference in Sicily (Palermo) to finalize the text, which would then be ready for adoption at the Millennium Assembly.
Delegates also strongly supported the CICP's general action plan for the next few years, including three global programmes launched in March which aim to combat corruption and trafficking in human beings as well as assess organized crime worldwide. "This Commission has laid the groundwork for the CICP to become the leading centre of expertise in the global fight against transnational crime", said Jan van Dijk, Principal Officer of the CICP.
Another milestone reached by the Commission was the approval of a draft political declaration to be submitted to political leaders at the Tenth Crime Congress, which the CICP will be hosting in Vienna from 10 to 17 April 2000. In the declaration, nations agree to speedily ratify the Convention against transnational crime and its protocols and lay down target dates for specific actions to fight crime worldwide.
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Nations pledge in the declaration to significantly reduce illicit trafficking in human beings, the smuggling of migrants and the illicit production and trafficking in firearms -- crimes also targeted by the Convention protocols -- by the year 2005.
By 2002, they agree in the declaration to take significant steps against corruption, develop national strategies to prevent race or ethnic-linked crimes and promote United Nations standards and norms on crime prevention and criminal justice. They also pledge to develop national, regional and international action plans to help the victims of crime and boost support services for these individuals as well as awareness of their rights.
A series of additional texts approved by the Commission at its current session included measures to boost juvenile justice and penal reform, combat corruption and money-laundering and provide technical assistance as well as international advisory services to requesting countries.
In its continuing effort to assist nations in designing effective crime-preventing strategies, the CICP announced the publication of its first Global Report on Crime and Justice, which reveals and discusses national crime trends, statistics and developments. The report, which will soon be publicly released, presents well-documented data and information on crime prevention and criminal justice, including new and emerging issues in organized crime.
Commission Membership
For the current session, the 40 members of the Commission included Argentina, Austria, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, France, Gambia, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Togo, Tunisia, Ukraine, United States and Zambia.
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