UN Crime Congresses

The Eleventh Crime Congress

Eleventh Congress (and previous congresses)
Information for Journalists

Synergies And Responses: Strategic Alliances In Crime Prevention And Criminal Justice
The Eleventh United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Hosted by the Government of Thailand

Bangkok, 18-25 April 2005

Background

United Nations congresses are major global events with a distinguished history and recognized achievements that have reverberated throughout the world. They are the only large United Nations conferences that bring together in one global forum different categories of participants - government delegations, representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, specialized agencies and other United Nations entities, as well as individual experts - from a whole spectrum of criminal justice fields who have their respective and professional contributions to make. The congresses have been held every five years since 1955 in different parts of the world, and have dealt with an array of topics. They have had an impact on national policies and professional practice by promoting the sharing and dissemination of relevant expertise and experience; formulating international guidelines; facilitating collaboration between States and between practitioners in the various sectors and disciplines bearing on crime and justice; fostering innovative and viable approaches intended to renew and upgrade existing systems; mustering public opinion and advocacy; and paving the way for more humane and effective methods of crime prevention and criminal justice management.

As the emphasis on enhanced human security and real justice becomes ever stronger, these objectives acquire particular importance. The globalization of most contemporary problems, including that of crime, has made international cooperation against it, especially against transnational organized crime, an urgent priority. The Congresses serve as both energizers and catalysts, stimulating informed discussion and proposals for action. The formal linkages and informal networking which they promote are the groundwork of strengthened international collaboration against expanding crime.

The United Nations General Assembly, by its resolution 57/17 of 18 December 2002, accepted with gratitude the offer of the Government of Thailand to host the Eleventh Congress. The Assembly also decided that the main theme of the Eleventh Congress shall be " Synergies and responses: strategic alliances in crime prevention and criminal justice ".

The Eleventh Congress will be convened at a momentous period in the history of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice programme. The international community has witnessed the entry into force of major international instruments, namely, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; the Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air supplementing the Convention (General Assembly resolution 55/25 of 15 November 2000). While at present, the third supplementary Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition (General Assembly resolution 55/255 of 31 May 2001) is still awaiting the required number of ratifications , it is hoped that its entry into force would be imminent at the time of the Eleventh Congress. It is also hoped that the United Nations Convention against Corruption (General Assembly resolution 58/4 of 31 October 2003), which was signed by over 95 countries at the High Level Political Signing Conference held in Merida, Mexico, from 9 to 11 December 2003), would be approaching the required number of ratifications for its entry into force.

Provisional agenda:

1. Opening of the Congress.
2. Organizational matters.
3. Effective measures to combat transnational organized crime.
4. International cooperation against terrorism and links between terrorism and other criminal activities in the context of the work of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
5. Corruption: threats and trends in the twenty-first century.
6. Economic and financial crimes: challenges to sustainable development.
7. Making standards work: fifty years of standard-setting in crime prevention and criminal justice.
8. Adoption of the report of the Congress.

Workshop 1: Enhancing international law enforcement cooperation, including extradition measures;

Workshop 2: Enhancing criminal justice reform, including restorative justice;

Workshop 3: Strategies and best practices for crime prevention, in particular inrelation to urban crime and youth at risk;

Workshop 4: Measures to combat terrorism, with reference to the relevant international conventions and protocols;

Workshop 5: Measures to combat economic crime, including money-laundering;

Workshop 6: Measures to combat computer-related crime.

The Assembly also decided that a high-level segment would be held during the last three days of the Congress in order to allow heads of State or Government or government ministers to focus on the main substantive agenda items of the Congress.

In the same resolution, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to prepare a discussion guide to stimulate discussion of issues of major concern and to identify the main policy options for consideration and action by the Eleventh Congress.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution56/119 of 19 December 2001, the Eleventh Congress should adopt a single declaration containing recommendations emerging from the discussion of its substantive items, as well as from the deliberations of the high-level segment, the round tables and the workshops. After its adoption, the Declaration will be submitted to the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice for its consideration and further follow-up action.

Regional Preparatory Meetings for the Eleventh Congress

The regional preparatory meetings were held in the first quarter of 2004 in different parts of the world, with the cooperation of host Governments, the regional economic and social commissions and the United Nations programme network of institutes. The venues of the meetings were: Africa, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1-3 March 2004; Asia and Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Bangkok, Thailand, 29-31 March 2004; Latin America and Caribbean, in cooperation with the Government of Costa Rica and the Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD), San José, Costa Rica, 19-21 April 2004; and Western Asia, Beirut, Lebanon, in cooperation with the Government of Lebanon, 28-30 April 2004.

Each of the regional preparatory meetings was immediately followed by a two day seminar to provide participants with the opportunity to discuss the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational organized Crime and its three Protocols, as well as the promotion of the ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption. (4-5 March 2004, Addis Ababa; 1-2 April, Bangkok; 22-23 April, San José; 1-2 May, Beirut).

The preparatory meetings provided the regional perspectives on the issues to be discussed at the Congress, highlighting special problems and concerns, as well as successful experiences and promising approaches deserving wider application. Evaluations of past practice included inventories of "lessons learned". Some countries which have compiled a "catalogue of past mistakes" have found them to be useful guides, and even more helpful when shared with other countries so as to profit from each other's experience, both positive and negative.

Using the Discussion Guide developed for this purpose, the regional meetings defined issues and strategies for further action, as well as provided useful input for the Congress.

Attendance of the Congress

Invitations to the Eleventh Congress will be sent to Governments through their Permanent Missions at New York and Vienna, as well as to representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, specialized agencies and other United Nations entities. Following past practice, individual experts have to indicate their interest in attending and their professional qualifications in order to receive an invitation to participate, at their own expense.

Accredited members of the media by the Department of Public Information provide press, television and radio coverage.

There is no special fee for attending the Congress. However, Governments will bear all costs of the participation of their delegations.

The languages of the Congress will be the official languages of the United Nations, i.e., Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided.

Contributions to the work of the Eleventh Congress

The United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, acting as the preparatory body for the Congress, discussed, at its Eleventh and Twelfth sessions, progress made in the preparations for the Eleventh Congress. The Commission finalized, for approval of the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council, the proposals for the Eleventh Congress. The Commission had before it reports of the Secretary-General on the progress made in the preparations for the Eleventh Congress (E/CN.15/2002/12 and E/CN.15/2003/11 and Add.1 and Corr.1), which contained not only the views of Member States on the main theme, agenda items and workshop topics for the Eleventh Congress, but also those of relevant specialized agencies and United Nations programmes, intergovernmental organizations and other entities, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network of institutes.

Entities and programmes of the United Nations system can make major contributions to the Congress in areas of common concern, where their expertise and perspective would illuminate the discussion and further an integrated approach. Efforts to involve other parts of the United Nations system in partnerships to mutual advantage have been strengthened.

Relevant submissions have been made by many of the relevant Specialized Agencies and United Nations programmes and the positive response of these entities to a request for their views on possible topics for the Eleventh Congress reflects a recognition of the value of such United Nations world conferences for strengthened collaborative efforts.

The Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat indicated that during the consideration by the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly of the item entitled "Measures to eliminate international terrorism" at the fifty-seventh session of the Assembly, some delegations had referred to links between transnational organized crime and terrorism. The Division for the Advancement of Women of the Secretariat recommended that appropriate attention be given by the Congress to the issue of trafficking in women and girls, and also that this topic should be discussed at the regional preparatory meetings, noting that crime and drugs were often inextricably linked to trafficking in women and girls and exacerbated the plight of victims.

The Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) noted the collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in supporting the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative and its Regional Centre for Combating Transborder Crime in Bucharest. Task forces have been established within the Regional Centre to focus efforts on trafficking in human beings, drug trafficking, commercial fraud, vehicle theft and customs fraud, which reflected the concern of Governments in the region. On the suggestion of the ECE, in order to support crime prevention efforts, these issues were taken into account in finalizing the substantive agenda for the Eleventh Congress. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) noted that human trafficking was a growing problem in the region of Asia and the Pacific, and that the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol on Trafficking in Persons represented a new approach to combating human trafficking. The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) indicated that attention should be drawn to the impact of crime on economic development in Africa. The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) highlighted the link between organized crime, terrorism and economic gains; and victims of the consequences of terrorism and relevant rehabilitation programmes, with particular emphasis on vulnerable groups.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that health, drug dependence and the criminal justice system could be considered by the Eleventh Congress. The World Bank recommended that the Congress examine international cooperation against money-laundering to combat terrorism; and cooperation against international State capture, defined by the World Bank as the actions of individuals, groups or firms, both in the public and the private sectors, to influence, to their own advantage, the formation of laws, regulations, decrees and other government policies abroad, as a result of the illicit and nontransparent provision of private benefits to public officials. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) noted that the general notion of crime prevention was significant for the Organization as it had devoted considerable efforts to dealing with the problem of unruly passengers, as elements of crime prevention and the exercise of criminal jurisdiction. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) had raised the issue of transnational organized crime using the postal services, especially the international shipment of narcotics and child pornography; the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Environment Programme have expressed interest in continued collaboration in areas of joint concern and full support for the Eleventh Congress.

Ensuring a proper legal framework and promoting justice as a basis for the rule of law is crucial to peace building and post-conflict reconstruction. The experience with the United Nations peacekeeping operations should be of wide interest, and the analysis of this experience could also benefit from suggestions from Congress participants working in law enforcement.

Regional intergovernmental bodies, such as the African Union addressed issues of good governance that affected the development plans of African States, and the importance of strengthening administrative structures, especially those needed for good governance. The Union suggested that the Congress should devote some time to consideration of poverty reduction through debt cancellation, as a strong tool for the prevention of illicit trafficking and abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and for preventive drug abuse education. In addition, the Union recommended the Congress give consideration to drugs for arms, the role of drug trafficking in the sustenance of conflicts; and drug dependency and child soldiers.

The Council of Europe noted that the concerns being addressed at present within the Council, i.e., corruption, money-laundering, organized crime, computer-related crime, alternatives to imprisonment and juvenile delinquency, would be addressed by the Eleventh Congress. The European Police Office (Europol) expressed its willingness to contribute to the preparations for the Eleventh Congress in relevant areas within its mandate and within budgetary resources. The International Centre for Migration Policy Development was of the view that international cooperation aiming at combating illegal migration, smuggling and trafficking in human beings, as well as cooperation on border management issues, should be priority concerns of the Eleventh Congress. The Commonwealth Secretariat expressed its interest in cooperating with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the preparatory work for the Eleventh Congress.

There are many possibilities for joint ventures, and the Eleventh Congress should help to launch some of the most promising ones.

Professional partnerships have also been created channelling the contributions of NGOs and the scholarly community into the Congress proceedings. The International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council (ISPAC) to the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice programme has made a major contribution to the Congresses and the programme as a whole, and is expected to do so also for the Eleventh Congress. Its selection of relevant themes for its international conferences (e.g. organized crime, money laundering, victim assistance, migration and crime, violence prevention and conflict resolution; and strategies against transnational crime) has permitted the consideration of priority issues in depth, and its development and application of selected training materials has served to upgrade national capabilities in critical sectors, such as the treatment of offenders and prison reform.

The NGO Alliances in Vienna and New York have provided valuable input through their working groups, information sharing and other activities. Through their periodic meetings, they have offered opportunities for ongoing contacts and dialogue. The Congress represents a culmination of these efforts - an occasion where the initiatives taken can come to fruition and have a wide multiplier effect. The support of interested governments and creation of joint ventures with multiple partners, including new sponsorships, can enhance the Congress preparations and its final results.

The Eleventh Congress offers a promising forum for the kind of synergies that derive from such partnerships, and could greatly profit from them. A number of NGOs continue to promote action in matters of direct concern to the Eleventh Congress. Some of them seek to develop regional crime prevention strategies and regional cooperation against transnational crime (e.g. Asia Crime Prevention Foundation). Their involvement and support can make a major contribution, especially in cases where they have created new organizational forms and partnerships, for example with the private sector and the public.

The Congress offers an auspicious occasion for NGO activities, especially in the convening of ancillary meetings and special interest groups. Non-governmental organizations can also fulfil an important advocacy role vis-à-vis governments and their representatives on the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

The involvement of the private sector in the Congress is sought. The Ninth and Tenth Congresses benefited from some private sector participation, especially in computer exhibits and demonstrations, particularly the use of security equipment for crime prevention, of computers in criminal justice systems, and of information networks and technological advances in criminal investigations.

The private sector could also provide incentives to sponsor innovative schemes for technical assistance activities. Foundations can play a prominent role in this regard, providing such opportunities and sponsoring studies and pilot projects. Private sector partners can be multinational or national, and of varying size, but they can all make a significant contribution to the Congress and the UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice programme as a whole. Such a role will greatly complement that of Member States contributing to and supporting the United Nations efforts in promoting technical assistance and support to national actions.

Previous Congresses