Vienna, 24 May 2021 – The thirtieth session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Crime Commission, CCPCJ) concluded in Vienna on 21 May. Participants from over 125 Member States, 15 intergovernmental organizations, 49 non-governmental organizations and several UN entities met in person and online to find solutions to prevent and counter crime and promote the rule of law.
“Action through this Commission for more inclusive and integrated justice responses is needed to strengthen prevention and the rule of law, and to help break vicious cycles of inequality, corruption, crime, and violence”, said Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, in her opening remarks on the first day of the Commission.
The Commission adopted seven resolutions on the implementation of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons; international cooperation in addressing the smuggling of migrants; integrating sport into youth crime prevention and criminal justice strategies; preventing and combating crimes that affect the environment; reducing reoffending through rehabilitation and reintegration; and strengthening the criminal justice system reform during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Crime Commission, as the preparatory and follow-up body for the United Nations crime congresses, also adopted a resolution on the Fourteenth Crime Congress which was held in Kyoto earlier this year. With this, it endorsed the Kyoto Declaration and encouraged Member States to take action to implement the commitments made in the Declaration.
The CCPCJ celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, and its current session is chaired by Alessandro Cortese, Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN in Vienna.
High-level speakers included Munir Akram, President of the Economic and Social Council, Alma Zadic, Minister of Justice of Austria, Marta Cartabia, Minister of Justice of Italy, Yōko Kamikawa, Minister of Justice of Japan, Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Anna Alvazzi del Frate, Chair of the Alliance of NGOs on crime prevention and criminal justice.
This year also marks 20+ years since the adoption of the Migrant Smuggling Protocol1. To mark the occasion, institutes of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Network (PNI) organized an interactive workshop where participants exchanged best practices and innovative approaches for improving the response of the international community with respect to migrant smuggling .
Over 80 online side events were held on the margins of the thirtieth CCPCJ.
***
The Commission acts as the principal policymaking body of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice and is working to improve international action to combat national and transnational crime and the efficiency and fairness of criminal justice administration systems. The Commission provides an invaluable forum for Member States and stakeholders to exchange expertise, experience and information in order to develop national and international strategies, and to identify priorities.
1 Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
