17-21 October 2022, Vienna – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) participated in the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crimes (UNTOC), held at the UNHQ in Vienna. On this occasion, PAM was represented by President Emeritus, Hon. Gennaro Migliore.
The conference represented a very strategic event for the Assembly, since Hon. Migliore had the opportunity to share, with senior governmental representatives and members of international and civil society organizations, the outcomes of the PAM High-level Conference “The Palermo Convention: the Future of the Fight against Transnational Organized Crime”, held in Naples last June.
In fact, at the end of the PAM event, which constitutes the parliamentary contribution to the intergovernmental process of revision of the Palermo Convention, PAM delegates unanimously adopted the Naples Declaration on Countering Transnational Organized Crime,
a unique political document that symbolizes the commitment of the national parliaments of the Assembly in the fight against all forms of transnational organized crime.
PAM President Emeritus firmly stated that PAM would continue its cooperation with the international community, and in particular with the UN institutions, to support all the efforts in the fight against organized crime, and ensure a prosperous and secure future for the next generations in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions.
The top priorities for PAM remain: the nexus between terrorist groups and criminal organizations, migrant smuggling, women and children abuse and exploitation, environmental crimes, and support to the victims of terrorism and criminal organizations.
During the conference, many delegations raised serious concerns over the spillover effects of the Russian unlawful, unjustifiable, and unprovoked aggression to Ukraine, on criminal activities of all sorts in that region.
Participants also agreed on the crucial role of civil society, including local communities, as well as the development of effective multi-stakeholder partnerships, in preventing and fighting against organized crime.//