Spotlight on human dignity, justice at high-level debate on rule of law and development

Spotlight on human dignity, justice at high-level debate on rule of law and development

On 13th of April 2015 UNODC is committed to efforts to oppose the criminals who sabotage the rule of law and sustainable development, Executive Director Yury Fedotov told a packed audience today at a high-level event at the 13th Crime Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Doha, writes official web-site of UNODC.

“Together, we can advance justice and uphold human dignity, and confront the criminals who undermine the rule of law and sustainable development,” said Mr.Fedotov.

According to Fedotov’s words acknowledging the importance of protecting the sustainable development goals from crime, Mr. Fedotov said major efforts were needed to ensure that the UN provides an integrated approach.

The UNODC chief emphasized that coordination was essential to promote genuine participation and ownership by countries. Mr. Fedotov said countries needed clear, meaningful targets to uphold their commitments as well as to bolster international cooperation founded on the spirit of shared responsibility.

Mr. Fedotov was speaking at a high-level special event held on the margins of the 13th Crime Congress titled, “The Rule of Law, Human Rights and the Post-2015 Agenda.”

In closing remarks, Mr. Fedotov said, “It leaves no doubt that responsive, transparent and strong institutions that operate in accordance with the rule of law and promote justice are essential for overcoming poverty, and realizing human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

Other speakers included President of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly Sam Kutesa; President of ECOSOC Martin Sajdik; Minister of Foreign Affairs, State of Qatar, Khalid Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah; Assistant Secretary-General of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Ivan Simonovic; Assistant Secretary-General Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), Dmitry Titov; former President of Slovenia, Danilo Turk; Minister of Justice of Italy, Andrea Orlando; Minister of Justice of Thailand, Paiboon Khumchaya; and Assistant Administrator the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Magdy Martinez-Soliman.

From 12 to 19 April 2015, Qatar is hosting the Thirteenth UN Crime Congress in Doha which brings together governments, policy-makers and experts to exchange their experiences and intensify international cooperation in tackling the threat of transnational organized crime.

As the international community continues to discuss the post-2015 development agenda, so the 13th Crime Congress will consider how best to integrate crime prevention and criminal justice into the wider UN agenda. It will focus on links between security, justice and the rule of law, and the attainment of a better, more equitable world.

As the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, has said, people aspire to be free from the grip of crime, violence, corruption and insecurity: “This basic human aspiration chimes with a growing recognition across the international community that crime is not simply a social problem, but a grave obstacle to achieving sustainable development”.

Photo: Official web-site of UNODC