Secretary-General, in Message, Welcomes Focus of Organization of American States

 

on ‘Citizen Security’, Heartened by Regional Efforts to Address Organized Crime

 

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the forty-first General Assembly of the Organization of American States, as delivered by Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, in San Salvador, 7 June:

The Secretary-General welcomes the focus on citizen security of the forty-first General Assembly of the Organization of American States.  Crime and insecurity are increasing threats in the hemisphere and worldwide.  Organized crime knows no borders, so it is encouraging to see joint regional efforts to address the issue.

The United Nations remains committed to countering this phenomenon, which undermines human development, prosperity and institutional stability.

The current discussions at the Organization of American States offer an opportunity to develop a regional approach to a problem that has a direct impact on citizen’s lives.  The call for a Hemispheric Plan of Action contained in the Declaration of San Salvador on Citizen Security in the Americas is a welcome step in this direction.

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For information media • not an official record