Statement to the
Opening Session of the Plenary
by
Pino Arlacchi
Under-Secretary-General
Executive Director
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my honour and pleasure to welcome you to Palermo for the inauguration of the first international treaty of the twenty-first century.
The signing of this Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, and the two accompanying protocols, are a historic event. It is the first legally binding United Nations treaty to fight organised crime. Why is this treaty important to the international community, the people of Palermo and men and women around the world?
First, it will help eliminate the inconsistencies among states that criminal networks are currently exploiting. Second, it brings together the best practices in combating criminal powers developed in several parts of the globe. And third, it contains the most advanced toolkit to ever be made available to policy makers, investigators and civil society to prevent large-scale crimes. By this I mean: the confiscation of illicit assets, witness protection programmes, the criminalization of membership in an illegal organization, limitation on bank secrecy, establishment of financial intelligence units, and other "state of the art measures". Together, they comprise a powerful global weapon to fight the mafias of the world during the coming decades.
The two protocols are a response to the changing nature of transnational organised crime. They are remedies for the increase in economic and sex slavery -- much of which involves the trafficking of women and children. The protocols will also expedite international cooperation, giving strength and confidence to all men and women committed to combating these gross violations of basic human rights.
And finally, the protocols will bring about a change in the way we see and treat those working as prostitutes and child labourers. No longer will they be viewed as accomplices. Now we will know them for what they are -- victims of a new form of slavery. They must not be criminalised. Instead, they need help and protection.
It is particularly appropriate that this occasion -- this celebration -- is taking place here in Palermo. Until recently, this beautiful city was the centre of one of the world's most notorious mafias. Our presence here this week and the adoption of the Convention is a potent symbol of hope. It is a lesson to the pessimists and the naysayers who believe that cross-border crime is invincible -- too big or too complex or to be faced down by the rule of law.
That defeatist attitude used to be shared by many on this island. And it bred a specific culture that viewed the mafia as a natural phenomenon. Inevitable even. And, somehow beneficial to local society. The great Sicilian novelist, Giuseppe di Lampedusa wrote about this ingrained outlook in his story "The Leopard". He said, "Everything should change, to have nothing changed."
But at the beginning of the 1980's an enlightened minority of Sicilians challenged this cycle of despair. They started to fight the mafia and political corruption by beginning with a simple principle - real change could and should occur. They were honest Sicilians who loved their island and were willing to fight to see it free of violence, deception and fraud. Through their courage, these people succeeded in changing the minds of most Sicilians. Now, they are the majority.
Today, Sicilians know the mafia for what it really was. A ferocious, unsophisticated expression of criminal violence. In the end, the mafia is a historical phenomenon like any other. It had a beginning, a development and an end. Today - we are nearing the end. The fight against the mafia and the re-establishment of the rule of law in Sicily make Palermo a worldwide symbol of community renaissance. It is an inspiration to all of us to make the Convention and the protocols work in practice -- and not just in theory.
Of course no one should pretend that facing down the Mafia was easy. We cannot adopt these international instruments today without thinking of those brave men and women who set out to lead the fight against organised crime in Sicily. That minority of professionals who led this modest, quiet, cultural revolution over a period of a decade and more. They were drawn from among the magistracy, the police, and the priesthood. They also came from the world of politics, academics and journalism. Each was pivotal in winning over the majority through education and careful persuasion. They helped to turn fear into courage. Together they persuaded the people that their interests were not served by the presence of criminal gangs.
Today - and every day - we remember those like Judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. It is a tragedy that they are not here to be able to celebrate with us today. We know how they died - but it is important to remember how they lived and what they - and others like them - did for the people of this island and the world. They did not die in vain. They did not die alone. Their spirit - and their courage - is in this hall today with the 14 heads of state, over 100 ministers and 200 delegates from 150 countries around the world.
Their deaths remind us that the struggle against organized crime is never cost-free. Indeed, there are many parts of the world where combating criminal groups may impose a higher price than the one paid by Sicilians. This is the reason why this Convention is a milestone measure and a living tribute to the thousands of men and women who have lost their lives in pursuit of a world free of mafias and criminal violence.
And so, Your Excellencies, Honoured Guests, we welcome you to Sicily and to the adoption of the Convention and the Protocols. I hope that you will enjoy Palermo. It is a proud city with unique cultural vibrancy. But it is also - I am happy to say - a normal Italian city with regular problems like every metropolitan area in every part of the world.
Most importantly, I hope that today will be the beginning of a process. A process that will result in the reclaiming of many cities around the world for peace, justice and the rule of law.