Provisional version of the Information for Participants of the 14th UN #CrimeCongress has been uploaded onto the official website. Find useful information on the registration, list of speakers, documentation, venue, etc.
Background 1. The United Nations congresses on crime prevention and criminal justice trace their origin to the international penitentiary congresses that had been organized by the International Penal and Penitentiary Commission (IPPC) since the nineteenth century. The General Assembly, in its resolution 415 (V), authorized the transfer of the functions of the IPPC to the United Nations, and approved the initiative whereby that the United Nations would undertake, inter alia, convening every five years a worldwide congress, so as to provide a forum for discussion of priority concerns by policymakers, administrators, academics and other professionals in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. Those intergovernmental forums have served as a stimulus for work in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, and the interest generated by them over the years has increased considerably. The First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders was attended by 61 countries and territories, while the Thirteenth Congress was attended by more than 4,000 participants, including representatives of 148 Governments, of whom approximately 50 were at the ministerial level. A similar, if not higher, attendance is expected at the Fourteenth Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, to be held in Kyoto, Japan, from 20 to 27 April 2020. 2. The statement of principles and programme of action of the crime prevention and criminal justice programme of the United Nations, annexed to General Assembly resolution 46/152, stipulates, in paragraph 29, that: “The United Nations congresses …, as a consultative body of the programme, shall provide a forum for: “(a) The exchange of views between States, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and individual experts representing various professions and disciplines; “(b) The exchange of experiences in research, law and policy development; “(c) The identification of emerging trends and issues in crime prevention and criminal justice; “(d) The provision of advice and comments to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on selected matters submitted to it by the Commission; “(e) The submission of suggestions, for the consideration of the Commission, regarding possible subjects for the programme of work.” 3. To date, 13 congresses have been held. The First Congress was held in Geneva in 1955; the Second Congress, with the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland acting as host, was held in London in 1960; the Third Congress, with the Government of Sweden acting as host, was held in 3 Stockholm in 1965; the Fourth Congress, with the Government of Japan acting as host, was held in Kyoto in 1970; the Fifth Congress was held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, in 1975; the Sixth Congress, with the Government of Venezuela acting as host, was held in Caracas in 1980; the Seventh Congress, with the Government of Italy acting as host, was held in Milan in 1985; the Eighth Congress, with the Government of Cuba acting as host, was held in Havana in 1990; the Ninth Congress, with the Government of Egypt acting as host, was held in Cairo in 1995; the Tenth Congress was held in Vienna in 2000; the Eleventh Congress, with the Government of Thailand acting as host, was held in Bangkok in 2005; the Twelfth Congress, with the Government of Brazil acting as host, was held in Salvador in 2010; and the Thirteenth Congress, with the Government of the State of Qatar acting as host, was held in Doha in 2015. 4. The Ninth Congress was the first to be held after the establishment of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. That Congress invited the Commission to establish an open-ended intergovernmental working group to consider measures for combating transnational organized crime and to request the views of Governments on the development of relevant international instruments. The results achieved by the working group led to the establishment by the General Assembly of an Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of a Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the subsequent negotiation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (General Assembly resolution 55/25, annex I) and three supplementary protocols, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (resolution 55/25, annex II); the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Air and Sea (resolution 55/25, annex III); and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition (resolution 55/255, annex). 5. The Tenth Congress was the first to include in its proceedings a high-level segment, which adopted by acclamation the Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-first Century (General Assembly resolution 55/59, annex), in which Member States pledged to take resolute and speedy measures to combat terrorism, trafficking in human beings, illicit trade in firearms, smuggling of migrants and the estimated $600 billion money-laundering business. States further committed themselves to taking enhanced international action against corruption. The Congress also stressed the need for an effective international legal instrument to counter corruption, independent of the Organized Crime Convention. Considerable attention was also paid to the need to address the rising tide of computer-related crime and crime resulting from xenophobia and ethnic hatred. 6. The Eleventh Congress was the first Congress to be held after the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was entrusted to serve as the guardian for the promotion and implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto and the United Nations Convention against Corruption. As such, the Eleventh Congress provided a platform for the organization of a special treaty event during its high-level segment. Member States were given the opportunity to undertake treaty actions both at the Congress and at United Nations Headquarters. In total, 16 treaty actions were undertaken on the occasion of the Eleventh Congress. 4 7. In addition, the Eleventh Congress adopted by acclamation the Bangkok Declaration on Synergies and Responses: Strategic Alliances in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (General Assembly resolution 60/177, annex), which was considered to be a crucial political document laying the foundation and showing the direction for strengthening international coordination and cooperation efforts to prevent and combat crime. In the Declaration, Member States, inter alia, reaffirmed their readiness to seek to improve international cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism, at the multilateral, regional and bilateral levels, in areas including, among others, extradition and mutual legal assistance; welcomed the entry into force of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and two of its Protocols; and called upon States that had not yet done so to seek to ratify or accede to and implement the provisions of the Organized Crime Convention and its Protocols as well as the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the international instruments against terrorism. 8. The Twelfth Congress focused on children, youth and crime; smuggling of migrants; trafficking in persons; money-laundering; and cybercrime. It highlighted the pivotal role of justice in development and emphasized the need for a holistic approach to criminal justice system reform to strengthen the capacity of criminal justice systems, as well as the need to explore ways of preventing and controlling emerging forms of crime worldwide. The Twelfth Congress adopted by acclamation the Salvador Declaration on Comprehensive Strategies for Global Challenges: Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Systems and Their Development in a Changing World (General Assembly resolution 65/230, annex). In the Declaration, Member States, inter alia, recognized the centrality of crime prevention and the criminal justice system to the rule of law and that long-term sustainable economic and social development and the establishment of a functioning, efficient, effective and humane criminal justice system have a positive influence on each other. Member States also stressed that crime prevention should be considered an integral element of strategies to foster social and economic development in all States, recognized that international cooperation in criminal matters in accordance with international obligations and national laws is a cornerstone of efforts to prevent, prosecute and punish crime, in particular in its transnational forms, and encouraged the continuation and reinforcement of such activities at all levels. 9. The Thirteenth Congress adopted by acclamation the Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice into the Wider United Nations Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges and to Promote the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels, and Public Participation (General Assembly resolution 70/174, annex). In the Declaration, Member States acknowledged that sustainable development and the rule of law are closely interrelated and mutually reinforcing. Member States committed themselves, inter alia, to holistic and comprehensive approaches to countering crime, violence, corruption and terrorism in all their forms and manifestations and reaffirmed their commitment and strong political will in support of effective, fair, humane and accountable criminal justice systems and the institutions comprising them as a central component of the rule of law. Furthermore, Member States encouraged the effective participation and inclusion of all sectors of society, thus creating the conditions needed to advance the wider United Nations agenda. 5 10. Prior to the Thirteenth Congress, a youth forum was organized by the Government of Qatar, in cooperation with the Qatar Foundation. The Doha Youth Forum on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice resulted in the Doha Youth Forum Statement, which was forwarded to the Congress and encouraged Member States to give due consideration to the recommendations set out therein, and invited the host countries of future congresses to consider the holding of similar events. 11. In its resolution 56/119, the General Assembly decided that each congress shall adopt a single declaration. In its resolutions 72/192 and 73/184, the Assembly requested the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to begin preparation of a draft declaration at intersessional meetings to be held well in advance of the Fourteenth Congress, taking into account the recommendations of the regional preparatory meetings. At its twenty-ninth session, which will be held from 18 to 22 May 2020, following the Fourteenth Congress, the Commission will give priority attention to the conclusions and recommendations of the Fourteenth Congress, with a view to recommending, through the Economic and Social Council, appropriate follow-up action by the Assembly. 12. The following regional preparatory meetings were held in preparation for the Fourteenth Congress: the Asia and Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting, held in Bangkok from 22 to 24 January 2019; the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting, held in Santiago from 5 to 7 February 2019; the Western Asia Regional Preparatory Meeting, held in Beirut from 26 to 28 March 2019; the African Regional Preparatory Meeting, held in Addis Ababa from 9 to 11 April 2019 and the European Regional Preparatory Meeting, held in Vienna from 23 to 25 April 2019. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 73/184, the Secretariat had made a special effort to facilitate the organization of the European Regional Preparatory Meeting, which was the first one held since 1995.
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