Highlights

Third session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, (CAC/COSP 3), 9-13 November, 2009, Doha, Qatar

The third session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption ( CAC/COSP 3 ) will take place in Doha, Qatar from 9 to 13 November 2009. Its mandate is to assist Member States to the Convention in improving their capacity to combat corruption and promote cooperation.

It is expected that more than 50 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) will participate as observers in the Conference. In order to view more specific information on the programme and events, please click on this road to Doha link.

The Corruption and Economic Crime Section of UNODC prepared an interactive presentation to illustrate activities undertaken from the second session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption, held in Indonesia from 28 January to 1 February 2008, to the third session of the Conference, to be held in Doha, Qatar, from 9 to 13 November 2009. The presentation is available by clicking on this link.

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Preparation to the XII Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

The NGO Alliance on Crime Prevention and Criminal justice, the Open Society Justice Initiative and many other civil society organizations are actively preparing for the XII Congress taking place in Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) from 12 to 19 April 2010. Should you be interested in organizing an ancillary meeting, please contact Gary Hill at Garyhill@cega.com

You may wish to consult this preliminary list of the proposed ancillary meeting for planning purposes.

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Eighteenth session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and preparations for the Twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

During the eighteenth session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which took place in Vienna from 16 to 24 April 2009, three coordination meetings for NGOs were held. The first two (held on 16 and 20 April) were introductory meetings at which participants were briefed about the main issues that would be raised during the session and matters related to the participation of NGOs. The third meeting (held on 23 April) focused on preparations for the twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which will take place in Salvador, Brazil, from 12 to 19 April 2010, and for ancillary meetings to the congress. For further information on the twelfth crime congress and the ancillary meetings, consult the leaflet.

 

On the sidelines of the commission, a series of events on crime-related issues were organized by NGOs, including:

  • A side event entitled "Prisons and Mental Health", organized by the International Catholic Commission on Prison Pastoral Care, at which participants discussed ways to improve health, safety and living conditions in prisons
  • A side event entitled "Teaching Criminal Justice", organized by the Academic Council on the United Nations System, at which participants focused on computer-based (online) tools for teaching about criminal justice
  • A side event entitled "Victims' Rights and Care", organized by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, at which participants emphasized the fact that victims of crime and terrorism are not sufficiently represented and taken care of by international organizations working on crime-related issues
  • A side event entitled "Promoting Cross-national Cooperation when Fighting Human Trafficking", at which participants identified effective and ineffective techniques in cooperation.
  • Finally, the eighteenth session of the Commission provided an opportunity to organize a launching event for the Handbook for Prison Pastoral Care Workers Confronted with Torture, compiled by the International Catholic Commission on Prison Pastoral Care. Mr. Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment took part in the panel and called for more transparency in the management of prisons and for more frequent monitoring visits of prisons

Click here to view the official programme of events held at the eighteenth session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

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Civil society contribution to the fifty-second session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its high-level segment

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs acts as the central policymaking body of the United Nations in drug related matters. Some 200 delegates from 65 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with consultative status with the Economic and Social Council attended the fifty-second session of the Commission, which was held in Vienna from 11 to 20 March 2009. Some NGOs organized side events to present and put forward their expertise to UNODC staff and Member States. Side events were held on a wide range of subjects, from essential medicines to drug dependence, and highlighted good practices in cyberspace and on the role of law enforcement bodies. (The full programme, including side events, is available by clicking on this link. )

This year's special session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs started with a high-level segment, which was held on the first two days of the session. Participants in the high-level segment adopted a political declaration and plan of action that is directed towards an integrated and balanced strategy to counter the world drug problem. This was the result of a broad review of the international drug control system to which civil society organizations actively participated in the framework of the project "Beyond 2008" . Their contribution was praised by UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa, who thanked NGOs for "helping set the agenda for Beyond 2008" in his closing remarks.

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Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

The fourth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols was held in Vienna from 8 to 17 October 2008.  Approximately 55 representatives from 35 civil society organizations attended the event as observers and contributors. Two NGO coordination meetings helped foster communication between these organizations and allowed groups working on similar issues to come together and share ideas and proposals for progress. A briefing was also held with Ms. Marjorie Bonn of the Ministry of Justice of the Netherlands and with the chairperson of the Working Group of Government Experts on Technical Assistance. Ms. Bonn presented an overview of the proceedings of the Working Group,  participation in which was restricted to Member States.

Civil society organizations also contributed to two side events:

  • A panel discussion on "The Need for a Review Mechanism to the Human Trafficking Protocol" was organized by the Global Alliance against Traffic in Women, Antislavery International and La Strada International. A speaker from Transparency International spoke about the efforts already made to establish a review mechanism for the United Nations Convention against Corruption. These efforts were presented as a guideline for construction of a similar mechanism for the Organized Crime Convention. The panelist from the Buhay Foundation in the Philippines emphasized the importance of engaging with civil society and stressed the need to focus on the human rights aspects of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol. The panelists agreed that the mechanism must be effective, transparent and cost efficient. This review mechanism was presented as a potentially important tool for identifying the main obstacles to successful implementation of the Trafficking in Perosns Protocol and for identifying the impact of existing anti-trafficking policies whose ultimate purpose is to convict traffickers and protect victims.
  • A presentation was given on the importance of international cooperation in addressing environmental crime. Read more about environmental crime in this report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa opened the event entitled "Environmental Crime: Our Planet, Our Problem", organized by the Environmental Investigation Agency, an NGO from the United Kingdom. Environmental crime takes many forms, including illegal trade in flora and fauna, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, illegal logging, smuggling of ozone depleting substances and illegal mining and trade of precious stones. Mr. Costa thanked EIA and other environmental groups for raising awareness of these disastrous offences and for urging the international community to act to combat such crimes.  He stressed the importance of applying the existing legal framework provided by the Organized Crime Convention towards this aim and called for the strict application of the Convention against Corruption to put an end to the corrupt behavior that enables these activities to take place. He encouraged all present to contribute to the cause by reducing the consumption of and demand for illegally traded products. An EIA representative presented a short film and answered questions from concerned participants. EIA and Mr. Costa stressed the importance of recognizing that environmental crime is not, as many think, a "victimless crime." These atrocious acts are destroying the planet and therefore affect not only everyone living today, but the prosperity and health of generations to come.

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Civil Society contribution to the 2008 United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

" Let's open our doors and our minds to involve all those who want to build a safer and more just world" said Mr Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in his opening statement at the 17 th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPJC) held on 14-18 April 2008. He emphasized the need to build a strong partnership with society in addressing the continued increase in the menace of organized crime.

The turnout of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) during the CCPCJ session confirmed UNODC's effort to facilitate a constructive dialogue between non-governmental organizations (NGO) and government delegates. Contributions on a regional and global scale as well as achievements of some CSOs were presented during several interactive side-events organized and co-sponsored by NGOs during the Commission week.

Highlights of some of the side events included:

Following the Thematic Debate on Violence against Women, the Panel Discussion on Responding to the Needs of Women in Prison, held on 15 April 2008 and proudly sponsored by Thailand on the initiative of HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, included a presentation on "The impact of parental imprisonment on children" by Oliver Robertson (The Friends world Committee for consultation, Quaker United Nations Office).

On Wednesday 16 April 2008, the Panel Discussion on Prisoners with Special Needs was hosted by the International Commission for the Catholic Prison Pastoral Care (ICCPPC) and UNODC in cooperation with Penal Reform International, Human Rights Watch and the Institute of Criminology of the University of Vienna. The event, attended by more than 70 participants, presented the up-coming UNODC Handbook on Special Needs and provided an overview on "Prisoners with Mental Health Care Needs" (Allison Hannan, Penal Reform International), "Prisoners under Sentence of Death" (Brian Gowans, ICCPPC), and "Women in Protective Custody" ( Farida Deif, Human Rights Watch).

The Panel Discussion on "Strategies to address Violence against Children in conflict with the Law", held on 17 April 2008, presented contributions from the Interagency Panel of Juvenile Justice and Defence for Children International.

In 2007, a panel discussion on the Role of Civil Society in the Prevention of Urban Violence and Organized Crime highlighted lessons learned of NGOs from four continents.

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"Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking ("UN GIFT ") on 13-15 February, 2008

The forum saw an impressive level of participation of key players (including approximately 350 civil society representatives) from across the globe to raise awareness and enhance cooperation in the fight against human trafficking. Throughout the Vienna Forum, the significance of civil society's role in combating human trafficking was repeatedly emphasized In the vast majority of panels and workshops, civil society representatives occupied prominent positions, and, throughout the Vienna Forum, a special CSO Knowledge Exchange Centre was available for civil society organisations to present their counter-trafficking activities and display material. In closing, the UNODC Executive Director highlighted the importance of the continued participation of civil society in the fight against human trafficking.

Civil Society and the UN Convention Against Corruption

In the picture: Art. 13 of UNCAC, on the participation of civil society  Art. 13, UNCAC on Participation of Society

Civil society organizations from around the world participated in the second session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), that took place from 28 January to 2 February 2008 in Bali, Indonesia. The Coalition of the Civil Society Friends of UNCAC, which includes Transparency International and another 45 civil society organizations from all over the world, organized on 29 January a forum focusing on "whistleblowers and anti-corruption activists in hostile environments" and "the need for mechanism for review of implementation for UNCAC".

Three whistleblowers (all public servants), told their stories, which demonstrated the devastating consequences of exposing and denouncing corruption for them and their families. The output from the meeting was a decision to set up an International Solidarity Network comprising anti-corruption organisations, trade unions and others to support and protect anti-corruption activists. Additionally, the Coalition approved its position statement (pdf) on the implementation of the Convention, which called for the creation of a transparent and participatory review mechanism, a fund for asset recovery, the coordination of technical assistance, and the protection of whistleblowers.

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"Squisito" 2008- UNODC and San Patrignano promote Food as an alternative to Drugs

Also this year's edition of Squisito, an international food event organized by San Patrignano, the largest drug rehabilitation centre in Europe was held under the auspices of UNODC. The event that took place from 30 May to 2 June 2008 attracted an overwhelming response from the media and was well-attended by over 20,000 visitors from all over Italy.

Squisito gathered 13 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)  projects, exhibited at the GoodFood pavilion, showcasing products from around the world grown by small farmers participating in the UNODC's Alternative Development programme. Some prominent NGOs such as DACAAR , ICARDA and DoiTung actively working with UNODC on Alternative Development projects in Afghanistan, Thailand, Peru, Myanmar and Colombia offered samples of their products, photo exhibits and informative material on their programmes to visitors.

The GoodFood pavilion exhibited a wide range of products such as mint, saffron, and pistachio from Afghanistan, and Lahu Mountain Green and Black tea from Myanmar. Peru offered coffee Oro Verde Café from Lamas - San Martin, and some palmito. Myanmar exhibited textile products ranging from handbags and wallets to tapestries. Carpignani, an Italian ice cream maker sold Gelato made from mint saffron and pistachios produced from Afghanistan. Visitors marveled at the quality of the products and of the Alternative Development programmes aimed at providing licit income-generating opportunities to small farmers who would otherwise be engaged in the cultivation of opium poppy, coca and cannabis. Squisito raised the interest of  small and medium-sized enterprises in Italy to commercialise these high-quality products on the Italian market.

The event not only exhibited products, but also created global awareness of the environmental consequences of the cultivation of illicit drugs. In his welcoming speech, Jorge Rios, Chief of UNODC's Sustainable Livelihoods Unit revealed that, "Growing illicit crops and manufacturing drugs not only is a negative factor for the family or the community, but also has a devastating impact on the environment". He further indicated that, "in Colombia over the last 20 years, 2.2 million hectares of tropical forest in one of the world's most important biological hotspots have been destroyed to cultivate coca".

San Patrignano looks forward to provide in the coming years other events that will convene diverse multicultural and international Alternative Development products.