At its 22 nd annual session (22-26 April, 2013), the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) welcomed 96 NGO representatives from 38 organizations around the world.
aaOld Style Ecomafia* |
The Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice carried on the tradition of organizing an informal dialogue with UNODC Executive Director, Mr. Yury Fedotov. The interactive exchange covered a wide range of topics, including, among others: NGO participation; the 13 th Crime Congress (Doha, 2015), correctional services versus health services; the inclusion of access to justice in the post-2015 agenda; the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners; femicide; death penalty for drug crimes; and offshore financial centres.
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New Style Ecomafia - Waste as Raw Material |
NGOs also met with the Chair of the 22 nd session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, H.E. Ambassador Xolisa Mfundiso Mabhongo. Given this year's thematic debate, the meeting focused primarily on environmental crime. NGOs also had the opportunity to share some of their other concerns and make suggestions as to how civil society could contribute more to the work of UNODC.
A number of NGO statements were also made in the plenary, some of which can be accessed here: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CCPCJ/session/22.html.
The active participation of NGOs is also illustrated in the 18 side events organized in collaboration with UNODC and Member States. Among the topics covered were: wildlife and forest crime; natural resources exploitation and violence; femicide; violence against children in the justice system; the revision of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners; and corruption.
* Legambiente was one of the organizers of a side event during the 22nd session of the Crime Commission on "Organized Crime and Crimes against the Environment: The Italian Contribution in the Case of Ecomafias". Legambiente uses the term "ecomafia" to indicate illegal activities of criminal organizations which damage the environment.
Picture Credits: Antonio Pergolizzi, Legambiente (Italian NGO working against ecomafias)