Regions prepare for 1995 congress - planning for ninth UN Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders for early 1995

UN Chronicle, June, 1994

Organized crime, "eco-crime", and crime prevention strategies were among topics discussed at five regional preparatory meetings for the Ninth UN Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in 1995.

Crime is undermining the "foundation of trust upon which government is based, by eroding its authority and legitimacy", stated Eduardo Vetere, Chief of the UN Crime and Criminal Justice Branch of the UN Office at Vienna, at the African regional meeting on 17 February.

"We put alarms in our cars, place bars on our windows, trying to make our homes secure as prisons." It was time, he said, to promote a "culture of legality and tolerance instead of a culture of lawlessness and violence"

To help shape international strategies to combat and prevent crime, the UN has convened Congresses on crime prevention every five years since 19 5 5. The Eighth Congress was held in 1990 in Havana; the Ninth will take place in early 1995, with Tunisia as a possible venue.

Two global conferences--on transnational crime (Naples) and on laundering and control of the proceeds of crime (Courmayeur)--are set for later this year in Italy.

Asia and the Pacific

Participants in the Asia and Pacific regional meeting (Bangkok, 17-21 january) urged States to strengthen their cooperation with regard to extraditing criminals. States also should ensure the independence of their judiciary and upgrade the skills of criminal justice personnel. Organized crime, including increased smuggling of firearms, directly threatened national and regional security and stability, many participants stated.

Africa

The UN should emphasize traditional justice mechanisms such as mediation and organize a UN crime prevention day or week to highlight global crime problems--those were among the decisions taken at the African meeting (Kampala, Uganda, 14-18 February).

The 1995 Crime Congress also should identify effective measures to prevent corruption of public officials and strengthen international cooperation to combat organized and transnational crime, it was decided.

African nations were asked to develop a multilateral convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters, including obtaining evidence from witnesses to crimes in another country, refraining from registering imported used vehicles without prior clearance from the country of origin, and creating joint structures for combating organized crime.

Europe

New forms of national and transnational crimes, including computer-related crimes, organized illicit migration and illicit traffic in human body parts, were suggested as possible topics for the 1995 Crime Congress by participants in the European meeting (Vienna, 28 February-4 March).

Delegates from more than 30 countries urged exchange of key information on organized crime and promoted quick and flexible reactions through concerted police countermeasures.

Workshops were recommended on improved ways to exchange evidence on environmental crime and on extradition requests.

Latin America and the Carribean

Exploring ways to prosecute transboundary criminal offences against the environment was suggested as a crucial issue for the 199 5 Congress, in a meeting by Latin American and Caribbean nations (San Jose, Costa Rica, 7-11 March).

A UN international week for crime prevention was suggested to promote awareness of the global problem of crime. International cooperation was needed to promote information exchange regarding drug trafficking, corruption, environmental crime and the treatment of organized crime, participants agreed.

West Asia

The Ninth Crime Congress should strengthen operational activities in developing countries by providing advisory services and training programmes, recommended participants in the West Asia preparatory meeting (Amman, Jordan, 20-24 March).

Member States were urged to strengthen the rule of law and apply UN standards and norms in crime prevention. States were asked to intensify efforts towards crime prevention, regionally and subregionally, and establish integrated policies, programmes and mechanisms, based on principles of islamic law.