Efforts of the Centre for International Crime Prevention to Promote Expeditious Entry into Force of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and Its Protocols and Expected Impact of These New Instruments (From UNAFEI Annual Report for 2000 and Resource Material Series No.

• NCJ Number: 200243
• Author(s): Dimitri Vlassis
• Date Published: October 2002
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: Japan

Annotation

This document discusses the development of protocols against transnational organized crime.

Abstract

The convention and the two protocols finalized by the Ad Hoc Committee at the October 2000 session were submitted to the General Assembly for consideration action at its 55th session. This brought to a conclusion the efforts of the international community to negotiate in good faith a set of instruments to collectively fight organized crime. One of the most significant features of the negotiation process was that all countries engaged in it came away with a sense of ownership of the new instruments. By gathering in Palermo the states sent a powerful message to the world about their determination to join forces against transnational organized crime. Immediately after the Palermo Conference, the Centre for International Crime Prevention embarked on an effort to promote expeditious entry into force of the convention and its protocols. The centre structured its activities along two major lines: (1) bringing itself to a position of being able to respond rapidly to individual requests for assistance; and (2) sustaining and nurturing the political will and momentum that made the completion of instruments of such complexity in such a record time. The centre took legislative action on the criminalization of participation in an organized criminal group, corruption, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. Procedural legislation and administrative measures were taken for prosecution, adjudication, and sanctions; confiscation and seizure; jurisdiction; protection of witnesses; assistance and protection of victims; and the enhancement of law enforcement cooperation. International cooperation measures were taken for extradition and mutual legal assistance. The convention and its protocols promotes an integration of strategies, policies, and mechanisms. Their effective management is the challenging answer to the growing danger posed by transnational organized crime. 2 footnotes