The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) contributed to the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, co-organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Government of Japan. The Congress was held in Kyoto, Japan, from 7 to 12 March 2021 in a hybrid format.
The United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is the world’s largest and most comprehensive gathering of policy-makers, academia, intergovernmental organizations and civil society in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, held every five years.
On the occasion of the 14th Congress, the representatives of UN Member States signed the Kyoto Declaration on advancing crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, providing a set of measures for a holistic approach to crime prevention.
At the Congress, PAM was represented by Hon. Karim Darwish, Egypt, PAM President, Hon. Tijana Davidovac, Member of the Serbian delegation, and Amb. Jean-Paul Laborde, PAM Senior Advisor on Counterterrorism.
A video-message by Hon. Karim Darwish was played during the high-level opening of the Congress. In his intervention, Hon. Darwish stressed the importance of the constant and constructive engagement of parliamentarians with experts and practitioners to ensure that legislation is up to date and effective, highlighting the role of PAM in this regard.
Hon. Davidovac intervened during the discussion on “Promoting international cooperation and technical assistance to prevent and address all forms of crime, including terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”. Hon. Davidovac drew attention on the emerging threat of terrorist recidivism and focused on the role played by national and international parliaments in addressing this issue.
Amb. Jean-Paul Laborde addressed the Ancillary meeting of the Congress entitled “The trajectory of illicit economy” and focused on the diversity of actors critical to effectively tackle transnational organized crime. Amb. Laborde recalled that these efforts require the engagement of civil society, as well as strong links between specialized agencies and the private sector, especially in regard to cybercrime.
The Congress and the Kyoto Declaration will further consolidate the work of UNODC in strengthening global partnerships on crime prevention and criminal justice. PAM is confident
that the engagement with all relevant UN agencies will continue to be fruitful and allow for strengthened further synergies between parliamentary action and global efforts to prevent terrorism and all forms of crime.