Latest news with #UnitedNationsCommissiononCrimePreventionandCriminalJustice
Al Etihad
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
UAE delegation participates in 34th session of UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna
25 May 2025 00:04 ABU DHABI (WAM)A delegation from the United Arab Emirates, headed by Judge Abdul Rahman Al Balooshi, Assistant Undersecretary for International Cooperation and Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice, participated in the 34th session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, held in Vienna, Austria, from May 19 to 23, delegation included representatives from the Ministries of Interior and Justice, as well as the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations and international organisations in Vienna, reflecting the country's institutional integration and collaborative approach to addressing criminal justice issues at the international level. This participation is part of the ongoing preparations for the United Nations 15th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which will be held in Abu Dhabi in April session saw significant momentum in discussions on the challenges of criminal justice and crime control in a global context. Participating delegations, including the UAE delegation, emphasised the importance of combating all forms of crime through strengthening international cooperation, gender equality, respect for human rights, capacity building and training, technology transfer, as well as developing and updating national legislation in line with contemporary need to combat human trafficking crimes and support victims through rehabilitation and community reintegration programmess was highlighted. There were also strong calls to combat terrorism in all its forms, emphasising the need to coordinate international efforts and strengthen relevant national this context, the UAE presented multiple statements during the session, affirming its unwavering commitment to international cooperation to build a more just and sustainable future, and highlighting the crucial role of the preparatory meetings for the Abu Dhabi 2026 Congress in formulating an advanced global vision for dealing with crime and criminal part of the session's activities, the UAE delegation chaired a side event titled "The Road to Abu Dhabi," which focused on the preparatory processes for the congress and featured significant international Al Kaabi, the UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Vienna, also participated as a Panelist in a side event organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in cooperation with INTERPOL and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), titled "Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism." During the event, he reviewed the UAE's efforts in combating organised the sidelines of the session, the UAE delegation participated in numerous side events and held several bilateral meetings with member states, aiming to strengthen cooperation, exchange expertise, and coordinate positions on priority issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice. The UAE delegation emphasised several occasions that preparations for the 15th UN Congress in Abu Dhabi are progressing steadily, aiming to produce a qualitative international declaration (the Abu Dhabi Declaration) that reflects the global consensus on the need to strengthen collective action to combat crime in all its forms and lays new foundations for international cooperation in building more efficient, equitable, and sustainable criminal justice systems in the future.
Arab Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Kuwait, Austria discuss initiatives to empower women in diplomatic roles
VIENNA, May 24: Kuwait's Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Affairs, Ambassador Sheikha Jawaher Al-Sabah, met on Friday with Ambassador Emil Brix, Director of the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, to explore avenues of academic cooperation focused on women's empowerment in diplomatic work. The meeting, which took place during Ambassador Al-Sabah's visit to the academy, discussed the possibility of organizing joint workshops and specialized training programs aimed at enhancing the role of women in diplomacy. The visit was part of her participation in the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice meetings being held in the Austrian capital. Speaking to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Ambassador Al-Sabah noted that the talks also reviewed the bilateral relations between Kuwait and Austria, particularly as the two countries celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. She emphasized the depth of the historical relationship and the mutual interest in strengthening cooperation across various fields.
The Star
21-05-2025
- The Star
South Africa ramps up efforts to combat environmental and organised crime
Environmental crimes severely endanger South Africa's ecosystems, economy, and communities. To address this increasing threat, strategies focusing on stronger law enforcement and increased global collaboration have been adopted. At the 34th session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna, SAPS social crime prevention head Major-General Thokozani Mathonsi shared the country's experiences with addressing new, emerging and evolving forms of crime, including crimes that affect the environment, smuggling of commercial goods and trafficking in cultural property, and other crimes targeting cultural property. Mathonsi said wildlife poaching and trafficking, marine and coastal offences, destruction of protected areas, and illegal mining of precious metals have major negative impacts across ecological, economic, social, and security sectors. Effective law enforcement against these crimes requires adequate resources and enhanced collaboration to improve detection and prosecution. 'To address this challenge, South Africa established the Environmental Enforcement Fusion Centre (EEFC), which analyses data sets and provides critical evidence, including information retrieved from seized electronic devices. The National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking (NISCWT) enhances law enforcement and prosecution collaboration,' Mathonsi said. He said that for South Africa, crimes affecting the environment constitute serious criminal offences and require cooperation among all Member States. In this context, South Africa looks forward to the intergovernmental expert group (IEG) on crimes that affect the environment to identify gaps in the current international legal framework and explore the merits of developing an additional protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC). Mathonsi said South Africa is experiencing a significant increase in counterfeit goods, including clothing, liquor, cigarettes, and medicines. This poses a threat to the sustainability of the country's industries. 'To combat this crime, smuggled goods and misdeclared goods should be forfeited and destroyed,' he said. South Africa continues to struggle with cross-border organised fraud, compounded by the emergence of new technologies, making organised fraud detection difficult. 'To combat these crimes, we have adopted a legislative framework to ensure that mechanisms for the seizure and confiscation of assets related to organised fraud are effectively implemented. The police can apply for property preservation orders and asset forfeiture orders,' Mathonsi said. He stated that South Africa's enhanced collaboration between governments and financial institutions at bilateral and regional levels has improved the identification and disruption of organised fraudulent financial transactions through strengthened information sharing. He said a growing threat to criminal justice was the evolution of cybercrime, including artificial intelligence. Addressing this threat demands advanced resources and digital tools frequently lacking in developing nations. 'Member States should strengthen international cooperation by harmonising and aligning their national cybercrime legal frameworks to effectively counter cybercrime. The adoption of the first UN-based legally binding instrument on countering cybercrime would greatly enhance the fight against transnational organised crime and advance international cooperation in eliminating this growing threat.' He reported a rise in extortion-related crimes, like the construction mafia in South Africa. 'Law enforcement agencies have deployed additional capacity to clamp down on extortionists and gangs and established a multi-disciplinary team to investigate and arrest those behind incidents of gang violence and extortion.' Mathonsi added that to effectively combat crime, the police, community, and business sector must collaborate, recognising that it is a shared responsibility. An Interpol representative said the organisation developed a range of capabilities to combat environmental crimes: Interpol deploys global operations to address the transnational nature of crimes that affect the environment. Interpol-supported investigations help countries address the problem of illegal waste export and pollution crime. Interpol's secure I-24/7 communication system is being upgraded to Nexus for faster, structured global information exchange among law enforcement. It will enhance operational cooperation and handling of urgent requests related to financial crime, corruption, and environmental offences. [email protected]
IOL News
21-05-2025
- IOL News
South Africa ramps up efforts to combat environmental and organised crime
SAPS social crime prevention head Major-General Thokozani Mathonsi (back) shared how South Africa is tackling the rising threat of environmental crime through enhanced law enforcement, international cooperation, and innovative strategies at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention. Image: Screenshot Environmental crimes severely endanger South Africa's ecosystems, economy, and communities. To address this increasing threat, strategies focusing on stronger law enforcement and increased global collaboration have been adopted. At the 34th session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna, SAPS social crime prevention head Major-General Thokozani Mathonsi shared the country's experiences with addressing new, emerging and evolving forms of crime, including crimes that affect the environment, smuggling of commercial goods and trafficking in cultural property, and other crimes targeting cultural property. Mathonsi said wildlife poaching and trafficking, marine and coastal offences, destruction of protected areas, and illegal mining of precious metals have major negative impacts across ecological, economic, social, and security sectors. Effective law enforcement against these crimes requires adequate resources and enhanced collaboration to improve detection and prosecution. 'To address this challenge, South Africa established the Environmental Enforcement Fusion Centre (EEFC), which analyses data sets and provides critical evidence, including information retrieved from seized electronic devices. The National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking (NISCWT) enhances law enforcement and prosecution collaboration,' Mathonsi said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ He said that for South Africa, crimes affecting the environment constitute serious criminal offences and require cooperation among all Member States. In this context, South Africa looks forward to the intergovernmental expert group (IEG) on crimes that affect the environment to identify gaps in the current international legal framework and explore the merits of developing an additional protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC). Mathonsi said South Africa is experiencing a significant increase in counterfeit goods, including clothing, liquor, cigarettes, and medicines. This poses a threat to the sustainability of the country's industries. 'To combat this crime, smuggled goods and misdeclared goods should be forfeited and destroyed,' he said. South Africa continues to struggle with cross-border organised fraud, compounded by the emergence of new technologies, making organised fraud detection difficult. 'To combat these crimes, we have adopted a legislative framework to ensure that mechanisms for the seizure and confiscation of assets related to organised fraud are effectively implemented. The police can apply for property preservation orders and asset forfeiture orders,' Mathonsi said. He stated that South Africa's enhanced collaboration between governments and financial institutions at bilateral and regional levels has improved the identification and disruption of organised fraudulent financial transactions through strengthened information sharing. He said a growing threat to criminal justice was the evolution of cybercrime, including artificial intelligence. Addressing this threat demands advanced resources and digital tools frequently lacking in developing nations. 'Member States should strengthen international cooperation by harmonising and aligning their national cybercrime legal frameworks to effectively counter cybercrime. The adoption of the first UN-based legally binding instrument on countering cybercrime would greatly enhance the fight against transnational organised crime and advance international cooperation in eliminating this growing threat.' He reported a rise in extortion-related crimes, like the construction mafia in South Africa. 'Law enforcement agencies have deployed additional capacity to clamp down on extortionists and gangs and established a multi-disciplinary team to investigate and arrest those behind incidents of gang violence and extortion.' Mathonsi added that to effectively combat crime, the police, community, and business sector must collaborate, recognising that it is a shared responsibility. An Interpol representative said the organisation developed a range of capabilities to combat environmental crimes: Interpol deploys global operations to address the transnational nature of crimes that affect the environment. Interpol-supported investigations help countries address the problem of illegal waste export and pollution crime. Interpol's secure I-24/7 communication system is being upgraded to Nexus for faster, structured global information exchange among law enforcement. It will enhance operational cooperation and handling of urgent requests related to financial crime, corruption, and environmental offences.
