Director-General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank the Chair of the CCPCJ, Ambassador Mugwanja, for bringing us together to consider how we can use the CCPCJ to accelerate progress toward a key enabler of the 2030 Agenda – which is SDG 16. This side event builds upon the opening statements we heard earlier today.
I would also like to thank the President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Kőrösi, for joining us at today’s event and for his efforts to support progress towards SDG 16.
I join him in urging Member States to take decisive and transformative action now.
Because we have no time to lose, and as said by the PGA, we cannot afford to do the same if we wish for better results.
The 2030 Agenda has indeed been derailed by conflicts, economic crisis, and climate and health emergencies.
Its vision of a peaceful and prosperous world for all is in jeopardy.
Progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals has stalled, and in some areas it has even retreated.
On too many SDGs we are falling short of our targets.
In concrete terms, this means that millions of people around the world continue to live in poverty, suffer from violence, and face discrimination and exclusion.
SDG 16 highlights that crime and violence undermine stability and security, threatening sustainable development and human rights.
So we must redouble our efforts to promote peace, to make justice accessible to all, and to build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions.
The poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable suffer most from crime and violence. Yet we are seeing indications that key institutions are failing them.
UNODC’s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022 points out that for the first time in 20 years, the number of detected victims has fallen, and that victims mainly escape their traffickers on their own.
These are signs that anti-trafficking capacities and responses are falling short, that justice is not being served, and that impunity persists.
Ladies and gentlemen, ending impunity is a game changer.
As crime becomes increasingly transnational, organized and complex, the criminal landscape is constantly evolving.
For example, with more than two-thirds of the global population now connected to the Internet, 5.3 billion people around the world are now at risk of cybercrime. And cybercrime cases are steadily increasing.
Online child exploitation and abuse increased by 35 percent in the past year alone.
Meanwhile corruption is weakening public institutions and the rule of law, and increasing poverty and inequality. Low-income countries are most affected.
The antidote to all these challenges is to strengthen the rule of law, access to justice, and the capacity of States to tackle all forms of crime, including organized crime and corruption, as well as exploitation and violence against women and children.
Fighting crime is no easy task. The scale of the challenge can only be met if States cooperate and coordinate with each other.
Fortunately, we have a strong international framework to guide us.
The UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols on trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling and trafficking in firearms, together with the UN Convention against Corruption, offer a comprehensive array of tools for strengthening the rule of law, addressing impunity, and enhancing international cooperation.
As guardian of these conventions, UNODC supports Member States in implementing their commitments through normative support, evidence-based research and tailor-made technical assistance that addresses their needs and priorities.
We support States in fighting organized crime, trafficking in persons, cybercrime and corruption; in disrupting illicit financial flows and recovering stolen assets; and in promoting access to justice and prison and penal reform.
All our activities promote respect for human rights and take into account the needs of both women and men.
We work in partnership with governments, civil society, the private sector and all stakeholders to build capacity and strengthen institutions.
Modern, strong, effective institutions are a game changer.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We cannot make real progress toward SDG 16 if women continue to suffer disproportionately from crime and violence, and if they continue to face barriers to justice.
Six out of ten detected victims of human trafficking are women or girls, and they experience higher levels of violence at the hands of their traffickers.
Although 80 percent of homicide victims are men, women are more affected by domestic violence, accounting for 58 percent of those killed by intimate partners or family members.
We must do more to bridge gender gaps in crime prevention, as well as within the criminal justice system, and in assuring access to justice and equal treatment before the law.
Bridging the gender gap is a game changer.
The CCPCJ offers a useful platform for sharing experiences and strengthening cooperation across the spectrum of crime prevention and criminal justice. I hope that Member States will use this session to more actively support progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda, including SDG 16.
UNODC is ready to support you.
Thank you.