Your Excellency, Madam President of the General Assembly,Excellencies,Dear delegates,Ladies and gentlemen,
I am honoured to join you today at this thematic debate on ¡°The role of regional organizations in strengthening and implementing crime prevention initiatives and criminal justice responses¡±.
Regional and sub-regional organizations have vital contributions to make in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
They are our partners in advancing the 2030 Agenda in a variety of fields.
As the complexity of the challenges facing us intensifies, so does the need for strengthened cooperation at all levels.
This debate serves an important purpose in connecting different dimensions of our collective work to advance the shared aims of the United Nations.
It is also very timely as it comes in the year that SDG 16 of the 2030 Agenda is set to be reviewed at the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in the coming July.
Ladies and gentlemen,In all countries, preventing crime and enabling universal access to criminal justice are one of the fundamental pre-conditions to realizing the aspirations of the 2030 Agenda.
It is widely recognized that sustainable development thrives when societies are peaceful and inclusive, with universal access to justice, and effective and accountable institutions at all levels.
Criminal activity undermines sustainable development.
Crime distorts the development process and diverts resources away from productive uses.
It harms individuals and damages the vitality of communities.
Often, its victims are among the under-privileged and marginalized.
The very institutions that are critical to achieving the 2030 Agenda are threatened by corruption and organized crime.
In preparation for the forthcoming HLPF, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs co-organized a Conference on SDG 16, hosted in Rome by the Government of Italy.
More than 300 participants from Member States, the UN system, various civil society organizations and other stakeholders, met to take stock of global progress towards achieving SDG 16.
One of the key messages emerging from the Conference is that progress towards SDG 16 is a universal challenge.
Advances in ending violence, increasing access to justice and strengthening institutions have been uneven across regions and countries.
Violence against women continues to threaten their well-being and pose obstacles to realizing their full potential.
Illicit transfers ¨C of people, goods and money ¨C across borders exploit vulnerability and foster evasion of justice systems.
In too many places, ineffective institutions continue to hamper the delivery of public services, and broader sustainable development.Old challenges persist even as new ones are arising.
The forthcoming edition of the Public Sector Report prepared by UNDESA, to be launched on 24 June, provides insights on progress made on various institutional dimensions of SDG 16, including transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption.
The report makes it clear that, while initiatives in these domains have multiplied in recent years, much remains to be done, and little is known about their effectiveness.
Excellencies,The need for effective cooperation is more urgent than ever, including in the fields of crime prevention and criminal justice.
Cooperation and capacity building can help overcome barriers to inadequate enforcement.
In this regard, there is an urgent need to step up education, training and assistance, especially for developing countries.
Tackling illicit activities can help deliver development outcomes. For instance, promoting the legal and sustainable trade in timber boosts the revenues that countries collect, making possible greater social spending.
In curbing such illegal trade and illicit flows of various kinds, there is enormous scope for international cooperation and advancing sustainability.New forms of data and advances in science and technology can help address many shortfalls.
If we are to make good on the promise of the 2030 Agenda, we need to pick up the pace of implementation.
I call on all stakeholders to commit to accelerating actions for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including SDG 16.
A dedicated platform has been set up by UN DESA to compile those actions of good practices in the lead up to the SDG Summit in September. You are all invited to contribute.
Such commitments will accelerate progress across many goals and targets.
I wish you a very productive thematic debate and look forward with interest to the outcomes.
Thank you.
I am honoured to join you today at this thematic debate on ¡°The role of regional organizations in strengthening and implementing crime prevention initiatives and criminal justice responses¡±.
Regional and sub-regional organizations have vital contributions to make in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
They are our partners in advancing the 2030 Agenda in a variety of fields.
As the complexity of the challenges facing us intensifies, so does the need for strengthened cooperation at all levels.
This debate serves an important purpose in connecting different dimensions of our collective work to advance the shared aims of the United Nations.
It is also very timely as it comes in the year that SDG 16 of the 2030 Agenda is set to be reviewed at the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in the coming July.
Ladies and gentlemen,In all countries, preventing crime and enabling universal access to criminal justice are one of the fundamental pre-conditions to realizing the aspirations of the 2030 Agenda.
It is widely recognized that sustainable development thrives when societies are peaceful and inclusive, with universal access to justice, and effective and accountable institutions at all levels.
Criminal activity undermines sustainable development.
Crime distorts the development process and diverts resources away from productive uses.
It harms individuals and damages the vitality of communities.
Often, its victims are among the under-privileged and marginalized.
The very institutions that are critical to achieving the 2030 Agenda are threatened by corruption and organized crime.
In preparation for the forthcoming HLPF, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs co-organized a Conference on SDG 16, hosted in Rome by the Government of Italy.
More than 300 participants from Member States, the UN system, various civil society organizations and other stakeholders, met to take stock of global progress towards achieving SDG 16.
One of the key messages emerging from the Conference is that progress towards SDG 16 is a universal challenge.
Advances in ending violence, increasing access to justice and strengthening institutions have been uneven across regions and countries.
Violence against women continues to threaten their well-being and pose obstacles to realizing their full potential.
Illicit transfers ¨C of people, goods and money ¨C across borders exploit vulnerability and foster evasion of justice systems.
In too many places, ineffective institutions continue to hamper the delivery of public services, and broader sustainable development.Old challenges persist even as new ones are arising.
The forthcoming edition of the Public Sector Report prepared by UNDESA, to be launched on 24 June, provides insights on progress made on various institutional dimensions of SDG 16, including transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption.
The report makes it clear that, while initiatives in these domains have multiplied in recent years, much remains to be done, and little is known about their effectiveness.
Excellencies,The need for effective cooperation is more urgent than ever, including in the fields of crime prevention and criminal justice.
Cooperation and capacity building can help overcome barriers to inadequate enforcement.
In this regard, there is an urgent need to step up education, training and assistance, especially for developing countries.
Tackling illicit activities can help deliver development outcomes. For instance, promoting the legal and sustainable trade in timber boosts the revenues that countries collect, making possible greater social spending.
In curbing such illegal trade and illicit flows of various kinds, there is enormous scope for international cooperation and advancing sustainability.New forms of data and advances in science and technology can help address many shortfalls.
If we are to make good on the promise of the 2030 Agenda, we need to pick up the pace of implementation.
I call on all stakeholders to commit to accelerating actions for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including SDG 16.
A dedicated platform has been set up by UN DESA to compile those actions of good practices in the lead up to the SDG Summit in September. You are all invited to contribute.
Such commitments will accelerate progress across many goals and targets.
I wish you a very productive thematic debate and look forward with interest to the outcomes.
Thank you.
File date:
Thursday, June 6, 2019