Kyrgyzstan Showcases Urban Safety Initiatives at UN Crime Commission

Vienna, 17 May 2018 - A delegation from Kyrgyzstan attended the 27 th session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) last week.  The CCPCJ is the main policymaking body of the United Nations addressing crime prevention and criminal justice issues, and a governing body of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Speaking at the general debate during the opening day of the session, Mr. Mirlan Jeenchoroev, a Member of the Parliament who headed the Kyrgyz delegation, highlighted the adoption of new criminal legislation in Kyrgyzstan aimed at decriminalization and the increased application of alternative measures of punishment. "Kyrgyzstan is moving towards a more pro-active approach to criminal justice, which focuses on preventive measures rather than responding to a crime after it happens", Mr. Jeenchoroev said.

During the week, the delegation from Kyrgyzstan participated in several side events aimed at exchanging knowledge among practitioners from countries around the world on promising practices to prevent and counter crime.

The Government of Kyrgyzstan partnered with UNODC and the Government of Mexico to organize a debate on reducing crime in cities. At this debate, the Vice Mayor of Bishkek, Mr. Erkin Isakov presented the experience of Kyrgyzstan's capital with participatory crime prevention assessments and the development of local crime prevention plans.

The delegation visited the Vienna Mayor's Office for a meeting with the Vice-Mayor of Vienna, Ms. Maria Vassilakou. Drawing from her experience managing a policy portfolio encompassing urban planning, traffic and transport, climate protection, energy and public participation, Ms. Vassilakou briefed the delegation about Vienna's Smart City initiative and its impact on public safety. "Vienna's smart city concept is about reducing the amount of resources the city consumes while maintaining social cohesion and continuing to offer a high quality of life to all inhabitants", she noted.

The delegation participated in another side event hosted jointly by UNODC and the Government of Kazakhstan, which focused on creation of a network on preventing violent extremism in Central Asia. At this event, Mr. Jeenchoroev spoke about Kyrgyzstan's legislative and policy measures to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism. A new resource website was presented, which will be managed by the Law Enforcement Academy under Kazakhstan's General Prosecutor's Office. 

The specific focus of this year's session of the CCPCJ was on cybercrime. The delegation attended a thematic workshop on this topic, which discussed ways to strengthen cooperation at the national and international levels to prevent and counter cybercrime. By facilitating such dialogue on current and emerging crime issues, the CCPCJ plays a critical role in advancing collective efforts against national and transnational crime, while strengthening fair and effective criminal justice institutions.

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For more information, please contact Ms. Vasilina Brazko

National Communication/PR Officer at UNODC

Tel. +996 312 32 17 32; +996 775 98 78 17

Email: vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org