Director-General/Executive Director
Vienna , 18-22 October 2010
Madame President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I would like to congratulate you on a very productive week. You have displayed a constructive spirit of cooperation and achieved important results. That is the best way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Palermo Convention.
This week you have had a fruitful discussion on new and emerging forms of organized crime, and I anticipate that dialogue will continue on what international responses are needed to address these challenges.
Yesterday we had a powerful reminder from Mr. Nicolas Cage, UNODC's Goodwill Ambassador for Global Justice, about the human impact of organized crime, especially its impact on children. We must never forget about the victims, the ordinary people whose lives are damaged by criminals.
On this point, I'm pleased to mention that two weeks from now, the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking will be launched in New York. The Trust Fund will provide humanitarian, legal and financial aid to victims of human trafficking. I encourage you to contribute generously to the Trust Fund.
I appreciate the flexibility shown by all delegations, which demonstrates your commitment to robust implementation of the Convention. Let us hope that establishing a review mechanism for the Convention will help the international community confront transnational organized crime more effectively. It is in all of our interests to ensure that the Convention is implemented fully.
UNODC will support you in this important work. You can count on us to help you.
You have all contributed to the success of the Fifth Session of the Conference, and I thank you for your dedication and hard work. I would also like to thank Ambassador Amina Mohamed for her skilful role in shepherding the Session to a successful outcome.
I would also like to thank the Secretariat for all its hard work in preparing for the Conference and ensuring that everything ran smoothly this week. Special thanks go to the Conference Support Section of UNODC's Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch, Division for Treaty Affairs and to the Conference Management Service, but there are many other departments and countless staff members throughout the organization who helped to make this conference a success. I thank all of you for your contributions.
The Fifth Session of the Conference of Parties is over now, but we have much work ahead of us. To help maintain this week's positive momentum, let us never forget our ultimate goal: To create a world free of fear, a world in which all people can raise their children in communities that are safe and healthy and just.
Thank you.