Director General/Executive Director
Madame Chair,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
As this session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice comes to a close, I would like to congratulate you and commend your hard work of this week.
Through your deliberations and decisions, you have set us firmly on the road to Kyoto, where the 14th UN Crime Congress will take place next April.
Your efforts to advance joint crime prevention and criminal justice responses to shared challenges, thus contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are an inspiring example of multilateralism at work.
The Commission has once again brought together a record number of participants, more than 1,500 from 120 states, to discuss joint solutions.
Your timely focus on preventing and countering crime motivated by intolerance and discrimination was welcomed by Secretary-General António Guterres, who noted that "by working together, we can reject hate".
By adopting resolutions on countering child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse online, and combatting cybercrime, you have reaffirmed the international community's commitment to tackling some of the most insidious threats facing our connected societies.
By focusing on evidence-based, gender-responsive crime prevention policies, as well as involving youth in crime prevention and promoting education on justice and the rule of law, you truly are helping foster a better world for all.
Ladies and gentlemen,
UNODC stands ready to support your efforts on all fronts to strengthen prevention and criminal justice responses to all forms of transnational organized crime, corruption and terrorism.
We will use the resources which you provide to us to deliver the highest quality assistance, informed by research and strengthened through evaluation and an unwavering commitment to being as efficient and effective as we can be.
We look forward to this important opportunity for the international community to build on the Doha Declaration and intensify efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ambassador Kupchyna,
Congratulations to you and the Bureau.
My gratitude also goes to my UNOV/UNODC colleagues for their hard work in support of the Crime Commission.
I wish all those travelling at the close of this session a safe journey home. Thank you.