15th UN Crime Congress: Plenary meeting 7 – 28 September 2026

Very good afternoon.

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to call the seventh meeting of the Congress to order. We will now start the consideration of agenda item 3, entitled "Advancing innovative and evidence-based crime prevention strategies towards social, economic and environmental development." While committee, I will turn to workshop three entitled Getting Ahead, Strengthening Data Collection and Analysis to Better Protect People and Planet in Times of New, Emerging, and Evolving Forms of Crime. For its consideration of item three, the Congress has before it the following documents. Report of the Secretariat on the follow-up of the Kyoto Declaration on advancing crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Reference A/CONF.241/3. Working paper prepared by the Secretariat on advancing innovative and evidence-based crime prevention strategies towards social, economic and environmental development. Reference A/CONF.241/4. Background paper prepared by the Secretariat on the workshop on building resilient societies with a focus on protecting women, children and youth, fostering engagement, education and a culture of lawfulness. Reference A/CONF.241/8. Discussion guide for the 15th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. reference ACONF/241/PM1 and the reports of the regional preparatory meetings for the 15th Congress, references ACONF/241/RPM1/2, reference ACONF/241/RPM2/2, reference ACONF/241/RPM/3/2, reference A/CONF.241/RPM.4/2 and finally reference A/CONF.241/RPM.5/2. Colleagues, I now give the floor to Mr. Suhas Ema from the United Nations Secretariat, who will introduce item 3. Mr. Ema, good afternoon. You have the floor.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. and good afternoon, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, dear colleagues, and friends. It is my honor to introduce agenda item 3 on behalf of the Secretariat. Where violence is prevalent and opportunities scarce, criminal groups exploit that scarcity. They offer children and young people an income, a sense of belonging, and the appearance of protection. Where such vulnerabilities are neglected, organized crime takes root. Prevention, at its simplest, is the work of making a better offer, and more importantly, making it first. This is why prevention belongs as a core element of development. We know that crime erodes trust in institutions. It deters investment and draws public resources from essential services. Its burden falls most heavily on those who already have the least. In Kyoto, at the 14th UN Crime Congress, member states recognized that crime impedes sustainable development and that sustainable development, in turn, enables states in preventing crime. More is known today about what that better offer looks like. It is perhaps an income through life skills training and employment for young people. It is belonging through support for parents and caregivers, safe schools and communities that are trusted to shape their own safety, and it is protection through institutions that people have reason to trust. Research and evaluation show encouraging results for such approaches, including strategies that pair swift consequences for serious violence with a real offer of support to those who choose to leave it. Being guided by evidence also means establishing what does not work. And prevention carries a particular difficulty, because when it succeeds, its result is something that did not happen. So its returns are hard to demonstrate in the short term and may appear only years later, which makes it harder to support and fund than responses after harm occurs. Yet the cost is paid either way, early through prevention or later through justice systems, victim services, and health care, and in lost income and education. However, prevention is and always has been the more cost-effective path. The working paper prepared for this item, document A/CONF.241/4, identifies three conditions that make the difference between knowing and doing. policy frameworks that allow sectors to act together, sustained funding and evaluation that shows what works. UNODC supports member states in this work, in developing whole of society policy frameworks, in building the evidence base through local initiatives that engage communities and young people as partners, and in embedding monitoring and evaluation in national policies. And two fronts are growing in importance. The first is that criminal networks use digital tools to recruit and extend their reach. The same tools can serve prevention, where safeguards protect privacy and guard against bias. The second is that crimes that affect the environment, damage natural resources and livelihoods, and data on them still remain highly limited. Prevention is also most effective when it is when those it is meant for, including women, children and youth, take part in shaping it. Workshop one examined exactly that question. The discussion under this item provides us an opportunity to move from evidence to action, to consider how effective prevention can be embedded in policy and practice, strengthened to sustained investment and brought to scale in contexts where capacity and resources are limited. Where opportunity is scarce, children and young people will receive an offer, and our task is to ensure that the first offer, the better one, comes from families, schools, institutions and communities that they can trust. That is, in essence, the promise of prevention: to change the very conditions that make the harm possible. So if we know what works, our responsibility is not simply to know it, it is definitely to make it possible, to make it accessible, and above all, to make it last. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr. Awa. I would also like to draw the attention of the delegates to the fact that during the regional preparatory meetings for the 15th Congress, it was emphasized that the substantive items and workshops were closely interconnected. In order to facilitate a logical flow of discussions and ensure that deliberations build upon each other, it was decided to cluster related agenda items and workshops. Accordingly, substantive item 3 has been clustered with workshop 1, entitled Building Resilient Societies with a Focus on Protecting Women, Children, and Youth, fostering engagement, education, and the culture of lawfulness. Committee I concluded its consideration of Workshop 1 yesterday, and I would like to invite Ms. Alexandra Martins from the United Nations Secretariat to inform the plenary about the most salient points of the workshop to enrich our discussion on agenda item 3. Ms. Martins, good afternoon. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. The workshop organized by UNODC in cooperation with Asian Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders was held at the first and second meetings of Committee 1 on 26th and 27th of September. The workshop began from a vantage point of where organized crime begins. with the recruitment of a child, the manipulation of a young person, the silence of a victim. Women, children and young people experience violence and victimization disproportionately. And they are also where criminal groups, including transnational ones, find their next recruits, their victims and their profits. The conclusion that ran through both days is that prevention, which reaches them first and is built with them, is among the most effective measures against organized crime available. At the first meeting, the workshop examined the foundations. The evidence on collective efficacy showed that communities with trust and a shared willingness to act have less crime. The Kyoto model strategies on reducing reoffending with community volunteers and child justice built on diversion, accountability without stigma, and rehabilitation designed with the child were also key focus areas. Preventing the recruitment of children by criminal groups protects children and denies those groups their next generations of members. Effective investigation and prosecution sustain public trust. Disrupting illicit financial flows, including those related to crimes against children, targets the business model, and the rapid removal of child sexual abuse material with accountability of online service providers is part of prevention. The workshop treated these measures and community-based prevention as one continuum. grounded in data, research, and evaluation. At the second meeting, participation was shown to be a matter of effectiveness. A panelist who had experienced imprisonment now leads women advocating for alternatives to imprisonment. Gender-responsive policing was described as deliberate institutional choice, beginning at the police station. Survivors of child sexual abuse work as experts through National Survivors Council. Children also shaped a national strategic plan against online child sexual abuse and exploitation, and legislation on femicide, intimate partner violence, and technology-facilitated gender-based violence was informed by survivors and by UNODC data. The Chair invited participants to consider, among other points: 1. Allocating sustainable resources to social cohesion at the community level, including the engagement of survivors, civil society and faith-based organizations, and policing that builds trust. 2. Establishing mechanisms for the meaningful participation of women, children and youth in policy, moving from consultations to co-creation with feedback to participation. Three. Recognizing lived experience as expertise, including through National Survivors Council. Four. Treating child victims of violence, including children associated or formerly associated with armed and criminal groups and also terrorist groups, first and foremost as victims. And preventing their recruitment by criminal groups, including by disrupting illicit financial flows. Five, engaging survivors. children and young people in measures against gender-based violence, including femicide, child sexual exploitation and abuse online, and technology-facilitated violence. 6. Promoting a culture of lawfulness through education, including peace education and youth-led networks. UN OGC stands ready to support member states in implementing the recommendations emanating from workshop one. And I would like to conclude by thanking the chair of committee one, our UNIFA partners and all panelists for making workshop one a success. Thank you, Madam Chair.

We clap. Thank you very much, Ms. Martins. Colleagues, the floor is now open for discussion on item 3. I would like to remind delegations, please, three minutes is the speaking time limit. I now have the pleasure to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ghana. Ghana, good afternoon. You have the floor.

Good afternoon, Madam President. Ghana acknowledges the critical role of innovative and evidence-based crime prevention strategies in fostering social, economic, and environmental development. We are committed to advancing these strategies through collaborative efforts and robust frameworks. By integrating data into approaches, data approaches into our policies, we aim to address the root causes of crime while ensuring sustainable development. Increasingly, data serves as a barometer to measure our successes and failures and the formulation of informed policies, choices, and decisions. To this extent, our national security strategy prioritizes the prevention of gender-based crimes and the promotion of a unified database for law enforcement to enhance coordination and efficiency. Disaggregated data by gender, age, income, disability, location, and other characteristics allow us to identify areas for attention in crime prevention and criminal justice areas, be it corruption, justice systems, organized crimes and to identify where challenges or risks are most acute for redress. For Ghana, this is essential to further design interventions that are not only effective but fair and for ensuring that Ghana's crime prevention and criminal justice strategies are aligned with international human rights obligations and the sustainable development groups it is therefore a profound honor to address this Congress on the build on building the resilience societies with a focus on protecting women children youth fostering engagement and education and the culture of lawlessness in the context of the above Ghana views this Congress as an opportunity not only to discuss crime after it occurs, but to address its underlying causes through stronger families, communities, empowered young people, protection of women and children, and justice institutions that command public confidence. Ghana believes a resilient society is not the one that builds the strongest walls around its prisons. but one that builds the strongest opportunities beyond the gates. Prisons in Ghana remain necessary for public protection and administration of justice, but imprisonment alone cannot solve crime. The true measure of a correctional work is whether a person leaves the custody better prepared to live lawful and productively and peacefully in society. With respect to protecting children, Ghana has adopted a prevention before the prison gates approach. And the theme of the program is youth and crime advocacy campaign. This concept seeks to engage the general public in their roles to ensuring responsible citizenship that ensures children do not go to prison at all. If we want resilient societies, we must begin with the child the child. Children who lack parental support, education and protection, positive role models or economic opportunity may become vulnerable to exploitation, violence and substance abuse, trafficking, guns and other forms of criminality. To this extent, Ghana believes that strengthening education, using it as a tool for crime prevention is key because it will help the child develop a correct sense of judgment, self-confidence, employability, and civic consciousness. Ghana also believes that women experience crime and justice system in distinct ways and may face domestic or sexual exploitation, trafficking, and poverty. Ghana, therefore, continues to strengthen gender-focused interventions and the professional development of women. To Ghana, we must protect the family bond because when a mother is imprisoned, her children may experience emotional distress, economic hardship, stigma, and disruption of the family, despite having committed no offense. Following training on the Nelson Mandela Rules and Bangkok Rules, Ghana has revised visitation practices in women's facilities to enable more meaningful contact between mothers and their children. Ghana has adopted a project it calls the Ghana Prison Service 360 Degrees, a program which has brought together the challenges of the prison's environment and strategize how other agencies and individuals can come on board to ensure how it's address its challenges. And the project has been tiered into three, pre-incarceration, incarceration, and post-incarceration. The post-incarceration, which has been a problem, has been identified as a very critical area. which must ensure somebody who comes into brush with the law goes prepared for smooth reintegration. And that is being done in collaboration with churches and the community as a whole. Ghana also believes that a culture of lawfulness is more than fear of punishment. Citizens must understand that the law protects rights, regulates conduct, resolves disputes, and provides a framework for peaceful coexistence. Legal literacy must therefore begin in the classrooms, continue in families, and be reinforced by communities. Young people should understand the law, their rights, the consequences of violations, and peaceful ways of resolving conflicts in the language that they understand. This is increasingly important in the digital age, where technology can educate but can also facilitate fraud, cybercrime, exploitation, trafficking, and sexual extortion. Our response must therefore include digital literacy with simple tools and responsible technology use supported by cooperation among families, schools, and justice institutions. Rehabilitation can fail if society refuses to accept a person who has served a sentence. Accountability and reintegration are not opposites. Successful reintegration helps protect future victims and strengthen communities. Evidence must guide critical criminal justice policy. We need to know who is vulnerable. Why children enter into conflict with the law, which interventions reduce reoffending, and what barriers women face after release, as well as which programs produce sustainable outcomes. Five lessons from and fourth, economic empowerment is crime prevention. Skills must be connected to employment, entrepreneurship, and markets. in Abu Dhabi, Ghana calls for practical partnership.

Supports a wide range of community-based initiatives across the country, including initiatives that support positive youth development, prevent youth violence, and promote culturally responsive crime prevention approaches in northern and indigenous communities. Canada believes that crime prevention is best advanced through a community safety and well-being approach, which takes a holistic view of safety, where everyone feels a sense of belonging and can meet their needs for education, healthcare, housing, income, and social and cultural expression. From here, I'll continue in French. Madam President, crime prevention efforts are more effective when they are adapted to the needs and priorities of communities. Strong partnerships between the various sectors, especially with police services, social services, public health, and the education.

Sector, are also vital.

The government administers a crime prevention repertory, which is an online database accessible by the public that brings together more than 250 Canadian initiatives for crime prevention based upon robust data. This repertory is updated annually, and it is an important tool for sharing information among community bodies, researchers, and practitioners.

Canada is also firmly convinced that crime prevention policies and programs are more.

Effective when they are based on robust data and on the latest available research. Therefore, Canada has invested in the Justice Data Modernization Initiative in order to improve the collection and use of disaggregated data within the Ministry of Justice of Canada, the Research and Statistics Division plays a key role in the drafting of policies and.

Programs that are effective thanks to research in social science and data analysis.

Canada encourages all to continue exchanging information as well as good practices, data, and expertise. By basing ourselves upon what actually works and on the lessons we've learned, we can enhance crime prevention efforts at a global level and help to build safer, more inclusive, and more resilient communities.

Thank you for your attention.

Thank you very much, Canada. I now give the floor to Montenegro.

Distinguished Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Criminal activity today is undergoing a profound transformation. It no longer threatens only individuals and their property. It endangers entire ecosystems, natural resources, and the stability of our planet. Environmental crime, now one of the most profitable forms of organized crime, has become a direct threat to sustainable development in all its dimensions: social, economic, and environmental. At the same time, economic crime undermines societies from within, erodes public trust in institutions, endangers financial stability, and inflicts enormous damage on state budgets. Traditional approaches to combating organized crime are no longer sufficient. We must rely on innovative, evidence-based strategies on the systematic linking and interoperability of existing databases, and one on the continuous strengthening of the capacities of the institutions that combat crime. Montenegro has recognized these challenges. The Ministry of the Interior, through the Police Directorate, has established specialized units, departments for combating complex forms of economic crime and conducting financial investigations, and the group of combating environmental crime. Only during this year, 66 criminal complaints were filled for environmental offenses with material damage amounting at approximately 8.7 million of euros. The police directorate also takes an active part in international operations such as Thunder and OpenWise, alongside with partner services from our region and beyond, confirming our commitment to the global response to environmental crime. Our vision is to base crime prevention on data and evidence. This means making wider and more effective use of satellite imagery, drones and sensor systems for the early detection of illegal activities, and interconnecting the registries of the police, inspection services, customs and tax authorities to enable rapid cross-checking. Only integrated and verifiable data allows us to identify risks in a timely manner and to protect people and, in doing so, the planet. Economic crime, meanwhile, continues to manifest itself through corruption, tax evasion, money laundering, abuse of office, and illicit financial flows. These forms of crime directly undermine development because resources that should be invested in projects of public interest, infrastructure, and education are regrettably diverted to criminal ends. As a state defined as ecological in its constitution, Montenegro has a particular responsibility to link the environmental and economic dimensions of crime prevention. As the next country to set to join the European Union, we are further committed to the developing stricter panel policies grounded in clear studies and damage assessments, and to continuously enhancing international cooperation. Ladies and gentlemen, investing in interconnected data and data systems and in stronger legal frameworks brings intermediate benefits for environmental, economic, and social development, like the three dimensions of sustainable development. Only through joint efforts, through innovative global strategies, and coordinated national ones, we can make our societies more resilient to environmental and economic crime. Through effective prevention, we protect our citizens and lay the foundations for sustainable development for us and for generations to come. Thank you all.

Thank you very much to the Minister of Interior of Montenegro. I now pass the floor to Uganda.

Thank you, Chair. Uganda affirms its conviction that prevention, when grounded in evidence and integrated with social, economic and environmental development, offers a more sustainable and cost-effective approach than reliance on reactive justice alone. Uganda has embarked on developing its national strategy against organized crime to mainstream prevention into national strategies against organized crime. Our approach is shaped by demographic realities, with 72.3% of our population under 30 and youth disproportionately represented in theft, narcotics, and petty offenses, already accounting for 75% of our prison population. It is clear that enforcement alone is not enough. Chair, the Uganda Police Force has introduced a sub-county policing model, deploying officers at the grassroots to strengthen early response and community trust. Rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives, implemented in partnership with Penal Reform International, have already reached over 300 justice-affected persons with vocational training and psychosocial support. Uganda's national anti-corruption strategy treats prevention, detection, and punishment as a continuum. Our Financial Intelligence Authority continues to safeguard the financial system against money laundering and illicit flows. Uganda has invested in specialized prosecutorial capacity to address forest and wildlife crime and actively engages in regional platforms such as the Wildlife Interregional Enforcement Network. Uganda's strategies are firmly evidence-based. Continued investment in digital case tracking, forensic services, and CCTV coverage further strengthens our preventive capacity. Chair, Uganda's experience demonstrates that prevention is less costly than prosecution and yields more durable results, in line with a call for international landscape of crime.

For countries like

Bangladesh, these challenges underscore the importance of prevention strategies that address not only crime itself, but also its underlying social and economic drivers. Bangladesh believes that effective crime prevention must be evidence-based, people-centered, and locally grounded.

Prevention begins with

addressing the risk

factors such as poverty, exclusion, unemployment, violence against children and women, and lack of opportunities for young people. Our approach, therefore, places emphasis on strengthening social protection, education, youth engagement, community awareness, and access to justice alongside effective law enforcement. Ladies and gentlemen, Bangladesh pursues innovative and evidence-based crime prevention through a whole-of-society approach. Community and beat policing form the cornerstone of our strategy for starting trust between law enforcement and citizens, enabling early identification of risk and preventing radicalization and violent extremism. In partnership with UNODC and with support from other partners, we have strengthened our capacity for human rights-based, gender-sensitive and community-oriented policing. UNDP supported evidence-based community safety plans in Cox's Bazar city, prioritize vulnerable groups, and promote local ownership of security solutions. Mediation forums and community policing forums resolve disputes and build social cohesion at the grassroots level. Excellencies, Bangladesh is strengthening technology-enabled and data-driven crime prevention to address the growing use of digital platforms, encrypted communications and emerging technologies by organized criminal networks. Bangladesh police is enhancing digital investigation, forensic capabilities, intelligence sharing through INTERPOL, and participation in global operations such as Operation

Thunder.

The Central Crime Data Management System GIS-based crime mapping and hotspot analysis are supporting targeted prevention. Bangladesh also promotes stronger cross-border cooperation and seeks specialized capacity building against environmental and wildlife crimes.

These

national actions are firmly rooted in the Q2 declarations, called to advance crime prevention as a foundation for sustainable development and in SDG 16's vision of peaceful, just and inclusive societies. Madam Chair, scaling up effective crime prevention globally requires enhanced international cooperation, technical assistance and the systematic exchange of good practices. Developing countries like Bangladesh need sustained support to strengthen data systems and technological capacities, adaptive to local contexts.

We call for greater South-South

and triangular cooperation, as well as predictable resources to translate the commitments into measurable results or outcomes. Bangladesh stands ready to work with all member states of UNODC and partners to accelerate these efforts.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you all.

Thank you very much. Muchas gracias, Bangladesh.

Thank you very much, Bangladesh. Now I'd like to give the floor to Vietnam. You have the floor.

Madam President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, amidst the rapid acceleration of digital transformation and profound socio-economic volatility, modern criminal activities are escalating in both scale and sophistication. Transnational crime, cybercrime, and environmental crime not only violate public order and safety, but also pose direct threats to the achievement of sustainable development goals. Confronted with these formidable challenges, Vietnam reaffirms its principles for season. Crime prevention must be inextricably linked to socioeconomic development and environmental protection. Accordingly, Vietnam has been actively implementing specific, innovative, and evidence-based methods. In recent years, Vietnam has undertaken a decisive transition from conventional prevention methodologies to a scientific approach based on big data and artificial intelligence. The predictive crime analytic system had enabled law enforcement agency to identify emerging risks at an early stage, optimize resource allocation and execute targeted high impact intervention strategies. Vietnam advocates for the strengthening of international cooperation through active engagement in global conventions as well as the conclusion of bilateral and multilateral treaties on crime prevention, mutual legal assistance in criminal and each reason the signing and ratification of UN Convention against cyber crime in Hanoi last year stand at a compelling demonstration of Vietnam's Readiness to cooperate with the international community in combating crime particularly non-traditional high-tech and transnational organized crime furthermore Vietnam is expeditiously reviewing amending and perfecting its legal policy frameworks governing crime prevention to ensure coherence, consistency and alignment with operational reality and international law. We are actively assessing the application of more stringent criminal policies and sanctions against environmental offence, food safety violation and act compromising public health. Concurrently, we are examining reforms to penal and judicial procedure policy by reducing custodial sentences, increasing financial sanctions, asset recovery anti-money laundering and protecting the right of vulnerable groups. Excellency, distinguished delegates, no single nation can unilaterally address today's complex, non-traditional security challenges. Vietnam reaffirms its steadfast commitment to remain an active and responsible member of international cooperative frameworks. We stand ready to exchange practical experiences, learn from innovative models, and collaborate closely with nations and international organization to foster a peaceful, secure, and prosperous world. I thank you, Madam President.

Thank you very much, Vietnam. I now pass the floor on to China. China, please.

Thank you, Madam President. Dear delegates, good afternoon. Advancing innovative evidence-based crime prevention strategies is crucial for achieving coordinated socioeconomic and environmental development. In recent years, based on its national conditions, China has pioneered and implemented a crime prevention framework focusing on systematic, law-based, and comprehensive governance and governance as the source, creating a miracle of long-term stability in China. For years, the public sense of security has remained above 98 percent. Today, China stands as one of the countries with the lowest homicide and overall crime rates in the world. Regarding governance at the source, the Chinese government launched a poverty alleviation campaign of an unprecedented scale and intensity, benefiting the largest population in human history. By eradicating poverty, a root cause of crime, we have significantly and effectively reduced criminal activities. Furthermore, the government places a high priority on improving citizens' legal literacy. Since 1986, China has implemented eight consecutive five-year plans for public legal education. Extensive legal awareness and efforts to foster society respecting the rule of law has cemented the foundation of crime prevention. On the economic front, our procuratorial authorities focus on key areas such as finance and market transactions. Measures include prosecuting crimes that disrupt the market order, providing compliance guidance, and issuing early risk warnings to effectively prevent economic crimes and maintain a stable market environment based on the rule of law. In the environmental sector, our people's courts adjudicate environmental and environmental resources cases, while territorial authorities address public interest litigation. This seamless alignment between administrative enforcement and criminal justice strengthens the prevention of environmental risks at their source, safeguarding the baseline of green development through the rule of law. In addition, relying on its grassroots social governance system, China has enhanced its diversified dispute resolution mechanisms, resolving a vast number of conflicts in their early stages, eliminating potential drivers of crime to the greatest extent possible. Madam President, we live in the information age and China places great importance on leveraging modern data and information technology to make crime prevention more effective. Our public security, procuratorial, adjudicatory, and judicial administrative departments have jointly put in place a big data risk monitoring and early warning mechanism. For instance, the Ministry of Public Security has established an anti-fraud big data early warning platform. In 2025 alone, the system intercepted 6.9 billion scam calls and messages and illicit payments exceeding 217 billion RMB. Meanwhile, procuratorial authorities are advancing a digital prosecution strategy, developing models for monitoring cybercrime and fraud risks to accurately pinpoint industry vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the Ministry is advancing smart corrections, using big data to assess risk of reoffending among individuals in community correction programs. At the same time, China strictly safeguards data security and strengthens personal information protection in data uses, ensuring technology innovation, always operates by law. Madam President, preventing recidivism is another priority for us. China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with all countries and share our practical experiences. Together, we shall contribute the Chinese contribution solutions to global security governance in crime prevention. Thank you.

Thank you very much, China. I now pass on the floor to South Africa. South Africa, please.

Thank you very much, Madam President. South Africa underscores the importance of integrating. South Africa continues to invest in research and evidence-based data. which shows that young people are disproportionately affected by crime, both as victims and perpetrators. This has made youth a central focus of prevention efforts, with police and communities implementing programs in crime hotspots to raise awareness against gangsterism, substance abuse, cybercrime, and violent crime while championing safety and fostering resilience. At the same time, government initiatives aim to improve social economy conditions through employment creation, apprenticeships, internships, and social support, recognizing that opportunity and inclusion are essential to discouraging criminal behavior. South Africa has also introduced strategic programs to support the reintegration of parolees and probationers by creating economic opportunities, improving employability, and encouraging entrepreneurship to reduce reoffending. Community correctional forums further strengthen this approach by bringing together communities, government, and business stakeholders to address local crime challenges while ensuring effective supervision and compliance with parole conditions. Probationers to ensure compliance and reductions in terms of reoffending. Building on South Africa's integrated initiatives. Strong partnership between law enforcement, citizens, and communities remain essential for effective crime preventions across both urban and rural areas. Community-based policing fosters trust, transparency, and intelligence sharing, while the private security sector enhances coordination and resource sharing. In rural areas, traditional leaders play a pivotal role where policing is less accessible. This collective approach strengthens intelligence, reinforces deterrence, and most importantly, builds trust and restores confidence in law enforcement and government. Further to this, South Africa is leveraging technology to strengthen public safety and crime prevention. A secure digital identity system will automate visas and permits, introduce biometrically enabled e-passports, and a mobile-based intelligent population register. This framework reduces identity fraud linked to transnational crime and position digital transformation as a cornerstone of innovative crime prevention and advancing citizen empowerment and reinforcing the rule of law through responsible use of technology. Madam President, to move towards a safer society, South Africa has implemented legislation that addresses gender-based violence. Recent amendment to Domestic Violence Act reintroduced new offenses to strengthen accountability and prevent further abuse. The act also places a duty on adults and designated functionaries to report suspected cases and conduct risk assessment, ensuring early intervention. South Africa is harnessing technology to strengthen crime prevention through criminal justice system. Seven point plan which introduces electronic charge sheets, digital dockets, exchanges and biometric verification tools to enhance accuracy and accountability. This integrated justice system links processes across 10 departments, improving efficiency, reducing backlogs and supporting coordinated crime prevention and victim supports. To conclude, South Africa reaffirms commitment to advancing innovative evidence-based crime prevention strategies that enhance public safety while promoting social economic development. I thank you.

Thank you very much to the Minister of Justice of South Africa. I now give the floor to Italy. Prego.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Effective crime prevention requires us to look beyond individual criminal acts and address the conditions that allow crime to take root and exercise influence over communities. Italy's experience in fighting organized crime offers a very concrete example. The power of criminal organizations does not come only from the crimes they commit. It also comes from the wealth they accumulate, the economic resources they control, and their ability to build influence, dependence, and sometimes even social acceptance within communities. This is why confiscating criminal assets is such an important part of our response. But in Italy, confiscation does not necessarily mark the end of the process. assets taken from criminal organizations can be returned to the communities and used for social, institutional, and public purposes. The idea is straightforward. A building once controlled by a criminal organization can be put at the service of the community. What was once a symbol of criminal power can become a visible sign of the rule of law. For this reason, we see the social reuse of confiscated assets not only as part of asset recovery, but as a broader crime prevention tool. It can create concrete opportunities, particularly for young people vulnerable to recruitment by organized crime. In doing so, it can help restore trust in public institutions, strengthen community resilience, and promote a culture of lawfulness. This is not only a matter of principle. Evidence from Italy shows that socially reused assets can support cultural and recreational activities, vocational training and services for vulnerable groups. We should now go further in assessing what the reuse actually delivers for communities, strengthening the evidence base for effective crime prevention. There is also an important economic dimension. Social reuse can turn resources accumulated through crime into resources for prevention and local development. In this sense, confiscated assets can become part of the investment that societies make in preventing crime, rather than simply the outcome of a successful criminal justice response. Ultimately, effective prevention requires a long-term perspective It cannot rely on isolated initiatives, but needs to be embedded in broader national and local policies, linking criminal justice responses with social and economic development. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all model. Effective approaches need to be adapted to different national, legal and institutional contexts, but experiences can be shared and supported through international cooperation and technical assistance. Italy is already working with UNODC and Member States to share experience and expertise across different areas of crime prevention and will continue to do so. We remain committed to supporting evidence-based approaches, the exchange of effective practices and technical assistance that can help translate these recommendations into concrete action. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Italy. I now pass on the floor to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Please, you have the floor.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Madam President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. the outset, allow me to express my sincere appreciation to the distinguished panelists for their valuable insight and contributions to our deliberations. Crime prevention is a fundamental pillar of criminal justice. An effective and accountable criminal justice is inevitable to preventing crime ensuring justice, protecting rights, and maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice. In an era of rapid technological change, artificial intelligence has emerged as an innovative tool that can significantly enhance crime prevention strategies, provided that its use remains responsible, transparent, and human-centered, and can strengthen the capacity of state to prevent crime, to prevent crime, protect victims, and promote public safety while expanding access to justice and legal awareness. In the field of crime prevention, the Islamic Republic of Iran uses AI to process data on offenses, their locations, and characteristics of accused persons, identify crime-prone areas on a map, and place this information at the disposal of prosecutors and police. This enables more effective and targeted judicial and law enforcement oversight to prevent crime and optimizing the use of limited resources and enhancing public safety. Another innovative initiative adopted by the Office of Prosecutor General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in crime prevention in cyberspace provides intelligent tools to quickly and accurately detect criminal content, including obscene material, violence, terrorism, and narcotics. These systems have been effective in detecting patterns of cyber criminal networks, in combating computer fraud through phishing SMS messages and forged banking and judicial portals. They process hundreds of millions of messages per hour and block fraudulent websites in less than 10 minutes. Experience shows that artificial intelligence, if used responsibly as a tool for crime prevention can strengthen justice and public order. The international community, while tackling obstacles impeding international cooperation, including restrictive measures, must, through multilateral collective cooperation, capacity building, exchange of experience, data protection, human oversight and respect the principle of non-discrimination and fair trial can create the condition for all nations to benefit equally. The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to share its experience in this regard. I thank you.

Thank you very much, Iran.

And now I give the floor to Colombia.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Colombia addresses this debate based on our belief that currently guides the actions of our government. Crime prevention can no longer remain a reactive exercise. Rather, we must anticipate risks and act before these take shape. Our President, Abelardo de la Espriella, has made this clear since taking up office by announcing the inclusion of artificial intelligence, data analysis, and tools such as blockchain in order to identify risk patterns and heightened transparency in public administration, a principle that we deem equally applicable to crime prevention in its broadest sense. In the same vein, Colombia has developed our own tools for early warning and analysis, which include indicators for corruption, institutional capacity, and safeguarding rights in order to guide public decision taking to address those territories and segments of the population that are most vulnerable. This, furthermore, is further strengthened by using a territorial coordination model, which is supported by the national government, comprising local authorities, the police force and state entities as part of a joint response to tackle crime. A tangible example of this approach is combating deforestation. We have transformed our response, no longer waiting to address isolated environmental acts, to understanding this phenomenon as a manifestation of organized crime, by strengthening our capacity for geospatial, financial, and asset analysis that allows us to identify the real perpetrators responsible for deforestation. Madam President, Colombia believes that effective prevention requires anticipatory approaches that are evidence-based and supported by the responsible use of technology. Only in this way will we be able to tackle crime head-on and to progress towards ensuring the effective protection of our peoples. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Colombia. I now give the floor to Mexico.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Distinguished delegates, Mexico has identified tackling root causes as one of the key components of our security policy. The first strand of our national public security strategy for 2024-2030 is based on the premise that preventing violence requires intervening directly in our territories, identifying risk factors, broadening access to rights and opportunities and strengthening the participation of communities. For Mexico, an efficient preventative policy is based on understanding the specific conditions of every community. And to that end, one of the main tools underpinning the strategy are the household visits, whereby public officials enter into direct dialogue with families, carrying out interviews and identifying social and community needs. The needs that are thus detected are then channeled and addressed through the peace festivals, which provides programs and services at all three levels of government organization. To date, 459 such peace festivals have been carried out, with the involvement of 53 institutions and providing over 1.4 million free services in areas such as education, employment, health, addiction prevention, well-being, sports, and culture. This undertaking comprises 298 state and regional bureaus for peace, which is a permanent coordinating body organized by federal authorities, state and municipal authorities. Between September 2025 and July 2026, over 64,000 sessions were held and 15,908 agreements were signed. This enables us to identify risks, ensure a coordinated response, and follow up to both social and security issues. These peace bureaus equally function as mechanisms to support governance. Through dialogue, mediation, and building agreements, we have been able to address conflicts in the work setting, community, and social settings in various areas in order to prevent escalation to violence. Direct prevention equally implies direct participation of the population. 216 peace committees have been established, whereby neighbors are able to participate in identifying problematic areas, focusing on the re-greening of parks, building gardens, paths, sports settings and other areas for recreation. We have also established nine new state-run councils and 455 municipal peace and civil justice councils, bringing together authorities, civil society, educational institutions, community leaders, religious organizations and the private sector. As part of this preventative approach, we have launched a strategy known as Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace. which has led to the voluntary relinquishing of over 4,000 firearms. And in total, 357,000 such artifacts were taken out of circulation between September last year and July of this year. Furthermore, we have been able to exchange over 8,000 violent games for peaceful recreational games, thus promoting the values of peaceful coexistence and conflict settlement in early childhood. We are supporting territorial approaches that are participatory and evidence-based in nature, addressing the specific needs of women, girls, and boys, and strengthening shared responsibility between the government and communities to build lasting conditions for peace. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Mexico.

Japan. Ambassador, please.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In order to observe the speaking time, I will deliver an abridged version of my statement. The full text will be available online. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, Japan believes that in addressing crime, it is important to pay due attention to the factors that lead to offending and the risk of reoffending. Rather than simply excluding those who have committed crimes from the community, We should support their rehabilitation and reintegration and enable them to return as a member of the community. Guided by this approach, Japan has placed reducing reoffending at the core of its crime prevention policy and has promoted comprehensive measures through multi-stakeholder partnership. Let me highlight three examples. First, Japan enacted the Act for the Prevention of Recidivism in 2016 and has since implemented national recidivism prevention plans. The current plan promotes community-based inclusion through comprehensive support, including employment, housing, welfare services, and education, as well as guidance tailored to the individual needs of offenders. Second, in 2025, Japan reformed its correctional treatment framework to enable more flexible and individualized treatment based on the needs and characteristics of each inmate, with a view to facilitating rehabilitation and smoother reintegration into society. Third, Japan emphasizes evidence-based approaches. At probation offices, an essential assessment tool based on the risk-need-responsibility principles is used to identify recidivism risks and rehabilitation needs. To share these experiences and principles with the international community, Japan led the development of the United Nations Model Strategies on Reducing Reoffending, the Kyoto Model Strategies. I had the honor of chairing the intergovernmental experts' meetings and being directly involved in their development. In a rapidly changing international environment, building consensus with the cooperation of member states was, to be frank, by no means an easy task. All the more, therefore, the adoption of the Kyoto Model of Strategies by the United Nations General Assembly in 2025 was deeply meaningful. The next step is to translate this international consensus into concrete action. Through international training programs and bilateral cooperation, including through UNAFE, Japan will continue to share the principles of the Kyoto Model strategies and its own experiences, strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships, and contribute to advancing effective policies and programs to reduce reoffending worldwide. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much, Japan.

Now I give the floor to Argentina. You have the floor.

Thank you very much, Madam President. The Argentine Republic attaches the utmost importance to this agenda item. Crime and violence are multi-causal phenomena mutually reinforcing, based on social, environmental and cultural dynamics. Crime prevention requires the effective presence of States in their territories, as well as international cooperation, in order to address the dynamics that dominate transnational crime. In this regard, it is of the utmost importance that we further strengthen ties with civil society, promoting joint efforts of governance and civil associations, and promoting the ties of trust and confidence between communities and law and security forces. President, nevertheless, we wish to touch upon the following specific questions. First of all, regarding the use of remote sensing as a source of data in order to combat crimes that affect the environment, my delegation wishes to highlight the need to ensure that the generation and use of space data for the purposes of monitoring and evaluating criminal acts is carried out at the request and under the guidance of each and every state and in compliance with their own territory, with the objective of assisting the development and implementation of their respective strategies in this area, avoiding the interference of third states and in compliance with the sovereignty of states over their natural resources. Now, while remote sensing is a potentially useful tool to monitor environmental deterioration and to combat ecological crimes, the acquisition and processing of geospatial data cannot be used as a means of interfering in domestic affairs nor undermining the jurisdiction of states. Furthermore, to ensure that remote sensing does not harm developing states or with less developed space capacity, as a matter of priority, we must address technological asymmetries, information security, as well as the gap in terms of operational capacity. Linking the prosecution of crimes against the environment to the exclusive use of inputs or technologies that are externally administered will give rise to critical dependency and risks when it comes to the custody of strategic data. Therefore, remote sensing must be used as a complementary instrument that serves to promote technology transfer, cooperation, just multilateralism, and strengthening of local capacity. Validation on the ground and the ultimate assessment of crimes against the environment must remain the purview of the respective national authorities, thus preventing a unilateral or purely punitive use of satellite information. Secondly, regarding the link between climate conditions and crime, my delegation is of the view that that this relationship lacks sufficient scientific foundation and that therefore there is a need for further research and data before we recognize a causal link between climate change and crimes against the environment. Climate action must be based on the best available science without converting global scientific scenarios or experiences into universal prescriptions for all countries. To that end, we believe it is necessary to build resilient societies, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups. including all such vulnerable groups. Here, we promote an approach based on the principles of equality before the law, non-discrimination, and addressing the specific needs of persons in vulnerable situations, ensuring that we avoid using specific conceptual categories in a manner that could lead to the exclusion of other vulnerable groups. Thank you, Madam.

Thank you very much, Argentina.

I now pass on the floor to the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom welcomes this opportunity to discuss how innovative and evidence-based approaches can strengthen crime prevention and contribute to safer, more prosperous and more resilient societies. The UK believes that effective crime prevention is most successful when it is evidence based, place based and delivered through strong partnerships. Understanding where crime is concentrated, the risk factors associated with those patterns and who is most affected enables governments to target interventions where they have the greatest crime reduction impact. Innovation and data play an important role in that effort. In the UK, analytical tools are helping us to better identify crime concentrations and understand the factors that are associated with offending and victimisation. That enables law enforcement, local authorities and community partners to work together develop tailored responses that address both crime concentrations and their underlying causes. For example, the UK has developed a hyperlocal crime mapping capability that combines police-recorded crime data with geospatial, temporal, socioeconomic and wider contextual datasets to to identify areas that experience the highest concentrations of crime. Insights from that work have informed targeted programmes to tackle knife crime, supporting partners to prioritise resources and develop locally tailored prevention activity. Our experience demonstrates that effective prevention requires a whole-system approach. Lasting reductions in crime are not achieved through law enforcement alone, but through collaboration across government, policing, communities, education providers, local authorities and civil society. As we continue to explore new technologies and advanced analytical approaches, The United Kingdom remains committed to ensuring that innovation is accompanied by appropriate safeguards, transparency and public trust. We look forward to working with international partners to strengthen the global evidence base for crime prevention, share best practice and advance innovative approaches that support safer communities and sustainable development. Thank you.

Thank you very much to the United Kingdom. I now pass on the floor to Indonesia. Indonesia, please.

Madam President, distinguished delegates, Indonesia views crime prevention as an indispensable part of the crime prevention and criminal justice strategies. We believe that crime prevention policies must be innovative, based on evidence, involve all stakeholders, and must be mainstreamed into national development planning with adequate budget. We have put crime prevention into our national medium-term development plan as our commitment to ensure a holistic approach along with law enforcement against crimes. This commitment is done by law reforms, innovative approaches, and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders. A few examples of these are our National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Trafficking in Person, our National Strategy on Prevention of Corruption, and the National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Leading to Terrorism that was recently enacted early this year. On innovation, our national digital literacy program was established to build resistance to fraudulent job offers and digital manipulation. We are also building an integrated national referral mechanism for victims of trafficking in persons and of online fraud. And we are developing big data and artificial intelligence analytics to map area-based vulnerabilities in support of law enforcement. Indonesia employs a whole of government and whole of society approach, bringing together all stakeholders in the design, implementation, and evaluation of these policies. We increasingly rely on data and evidence to identify root causes and risk factors and to target our interventions towards communities that are most vulnerable to recruitment and exploitation. Continuous capacity building for our frontline officials, cross-sectoral coordination and community-based engagement remain the backbone of these efforts. In ensuring that innovative and evidence prevention strategies contribute to social, economic, and environmental development, we believe that countries need to integrate the crime prevention into national policies and governance, implement evidence-based and data-driven strategies, promote whole of society approach. In that context, we need to have a stronger cooperation, including technical assistance to foster innovation encourage the integration of new technologies, strengthen technical capacities, particularly for developing countries, to implement sustainable and innovative prevention programs, including prevention evaluation tools. I thank you, Madam President.

Thank you very much, Indonesia. I now give the floor to the United States of America. You have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. We ask for this statement to be reflected in the report. The United States has serious concerns about the scope and direction of this working paper and this agenda item more broadly. This body is the Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, not a development agency, not an environmental forum, not a social services coordinating committee. Yet this paper reads like a wish list for every activist UN agenda under the sun: climate change, environmental degradation, the triple planetary crisis. This mission creep dilutes our focus and wastes precious time and resources. Education, public health, housing, these are important issues, but they belong in other forums. This body should focus on its core mandate, disrupting criminal networks and preventing crime. And let's talk about what this paper fails to mention. form of preventing crime is prosecuting criminals and enforcing clear penalties. This is not just a public safety measure, it's a deterrent. When criminals know they will face swift and certain consequences, they think twice about committing their crimes. When they know they can act with impunity, violence flourishes. The United States is not speaking in the abstract. Under President Trump's leadership, we have cut homicides by over 50% from recent peaks, secured more than 100 convictions of alien smugglers and human traffickers since January 2025, and carried out 28 extraditions since January 2025. These are the direct results of prosecution, deterrence, and enforcement, the very tools this paper overlooks. Why does crime persist at drastic levels around the globe? The paper talks about poverty, inequality, and lack of opportunity. But let's be honest about the real problem. In far too many cases, countries have weak criminal justice systems. They fail to investigate crimes. They fail to prosecute offenders. They fail to hold criminals accountable. Let me tell you what we should be discussing under this agenda item. depleting criminal organizations of their human resources by tackling youth recruitment. We must impose severe, uncompromising deterrence tools, including sanctions, visa restrictions, and harsh penalties on criminal groups recruiting our young people. Criminal networks are misusing social media and messaging platforms to recruit young people. These same networks increasingly use online platforms to recruit and exploit young people directly, including through the sextortion of children, a crime that has already cost more than 40 American teenagers their lives. Depriving criminal organizations of their human resources and protecting children online are two sides of the same fight, and both demand the same response: strengthen investigations, faster cooperation, greater coordination between governments and tech companies, and real consequences for perpetrators. Let's focus on concrete law enforcement cooperation. Let's share intelligence on transnational criminal networks. Let's stop pretending that crime prevention means solving every social problem faced around the globe. We can't, but we can make sure that criminals face consequences. And to do that, justice systems need to function. And this unfocused approach serves no one, least of all the people we are supposed to be protecting. Thank you.

Thank you very much to the United States of America. I now pass on the floor to Thailand.

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Thailand remains committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Kyoto Declaration. We align our national strategy with the Secretary's working paper. Crime prevention today must be innovative, driven by data, and part of wider social and economic development. Allow me to highlight four areas of our work. First, data-driven prevention, recognizing that law enforcement must evolve beyond traditional suppression The Royal Thai Police is spearheading a transition toward a data-driven model. Combining big data, AI-enabled CCTV, and the Crime Check platform, it shows us the hotspot so we can put resources there before crime occurs. The Office of Justice Affairs runs a Crime Forecasting Center. It uses artificial intelligence to analyze spatial and social risks, and it alerts the public to the SafePoint mobile application. We measure our impact to the Thailand Justice Index and the Citizen Crime Statistics Survey. Complementing this, the RTP Cyber Village project leverages digital tools to foster real-time intelligence sharing between local officers and citizens. The Office of the Attorney General extends legal aid to rural and underprivileged communities, reducing their exposure to exploitation. Second, scam and victim of forced criminality. The Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Center works with financial institutions and local units to freeze fraudulent accounts, stop life scams, and rescue victims. Thailand also applies the non-punishment principle to victims of trafficking identified in scam operations. They are referred to our national referral mechanism for protection and support, rather than prosecution. consistent with international and UNODC guidance on non-punishment principle. This remains an evolving area of practice. Screening at first contact, separating those who were coerced from those who organized it, is among the hardest and most consequential decision our officer make. Third, regional cooperation. Scams do not stop at borders, and neither can we. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society leads the ASEAN Working Group on Anti-Online Scam, creating an integrated operational framework to combat cross-border call centre fraud and cybercrime. The Royal Thai Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have introduced SHIELD, stand for the Scam and Human Trafficking Information Exchange and Link Database. It connects financial trace, digital evidence, and intelligence across participating nations. Thailand also continue to support the UN Convention against Cybercrime with firm safeguard for human rights and data privacy. Fourth, public reform. Finally, Mr. Chairman, crime prevention depends on the integrity of the institution that enforce the law. Since 2024, the Royal Thai Police had partnered with the United Kingdom Home Office and Northumbria Police on a pilot to prevent death and injury in police detention. The pilot introduced this assessment at booking in at every shift change, a single content custody area in each station. and a complete record of each detainee's activity, meals, and medical care. It protects detainees and officers alike. Within the coming year, we intend to make it a national standard operating procedure, and in time, to extend it to 1,484 police stations in the country. which I did not as finished achievement but as a principle. Crime prevention is solely as credible as the institution that carried out. Reforming how we manage custody is preventive work in its own right. Conclusion, Mr. Chairman, the syndicate we face profit from data they control, border they exploit, and people who lack protection. Our answer is data-driven policing access to justice, protection for victims, and cooperation across borders through frameworks such as CHIO. Thailand believes this is how we build resilient society where justice truly serves sustainable development. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Thailand. I now give the floor to Kenya. Kenya, please.

Chair, Excellencies, and distinguished delegates. Kenya considers crime prevention inseparable from social, economic and environmental development. We recognize that youth employment, rapid urbanization and climate-related displacement can increase vulnerability to crime. violent extremism and exploitation. Our approach therefore combines enforcement with livelihoods, education, social protection and community-based interventions, particularly for at-risk youth. Kenya has made significant progress in technology-enabled and evidence-based policing. The National Police Service has rolled out the digital occurrence book. digital OB to more than 300 police stations, with over 500,000 cases logged in digitally. The system is reported to have reduced case processing time by approximately 30% and increased conviction rates by about 25% in areas where it is operational. The digitalisation of the serious crimes, arms movement and exhibit registers is further strengthening the integrity and accessibility of crime data. Kenya is similarly applying digital solutions in correction. The Kenya Prison Service has deployed an offender management system to strengthen the management of custody, health, and rehabilitation information. Improved access to offender data has supported the use of non-custodial measures, community-based rehabilitation, and probation services. At the community level, Kenya has strengthened technology-enabled reporting and prevention mechanisms. The Usalama Baharini platform enables coastal communities to report suspicious maritime activities, search and rescue needs, and pollution incidents. The Vurugu Maa Maa supports digital reports of child protection cases, while Childline 116 provides a toll-free channel for reporting abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Kenya has also invested in integrated responses to sexual and gender-based violence through the Polycare model, bringing together police, forensic investigators, health personnel, psychological counselors, prosecutors, and judicial service officers within a one-stop framework. Our prevention strategy extends to forensic and investigative capacity. In June 2026, the government chemist received ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, strengthening the reliability and evidentiary value of forensic analysis. In July 2026, the DCI rolled out the multi biometric identification system, expanding its database capacity from approximately 2 million to 10 million records and reducing the processing time for certificate of good conduct from up to 14 days to as little as a day. Kenya further recognizes rehabilitation as a crime prevention strategy. More than 23,000 inmates have received formal education, with correctional facilities operating 59 primary and 59 secondary schools. More than 30,000 inmates receive vocational training, while persons under correctional supervision have attained university qualification, including degrees in law and medicine. Community participation remains central to our prevention efforts. Between April and October 2025, Kenya conducted Jukwaa la Usalama consultations across all the 47 counties of the Republic. bringing together national and county officials, security agencies, youth, women, religious organizations, business groups, elected leaders, and civil society. The consultations generated countrywide specific responses and have since been institutionalized through regular county and national forums. Kenya, therefore, calls for greater investment in preventive strategies that are data-driven, community-owned and development-oriented, while ensuring that technology is deployed consistently with human rights, privacy, accountability, and the rule of law. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much, Kenya. I now pass the floor to the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol. You have the floor, please.

Madam Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Environmental degradation is increasingly driven by transnational organized crime. Therefore, crime prevention and sustainable development are closely linked. This is precisely where the global mandate of Interpol intersects with the fight against crimes that affect the environment, connecting law enforcement actions to advance social, economic and environmental resilience. Environmental crimes are rarely isolated. They are hubs for polycriminality. And Interpol has prioritized analytical capacity building to assist member countries, identify criminal networks and high value targets, but also collect evidence proving that environmental crimes are organized crime and that they need to be treated accordingly. Our operating model focuses on the entire criminal enterprise, not just the individual cutting the tree or mining the gold. This multidimensional approach integrates interagency law enforcement cooperation, capacity building, and advanced digital forensics. Our follow-the-network approach delivers measurable results. Operation Madre Tierra revealed a case of illegal deforestation in Latin America, linking 30 companies and 60 individuals to organized crime. Using our insight analytical platform, we uncovered 161 related entities and 65 individuals, enabling raids that led to 14 arrests and exposed international money transfers. In Peru, digital forensics on 18 terabytes of data revealed Hostiles de la Amazonia, a syndicate linked to 39,000 entities globally, exposing trade-based money laundering. To achieve such results, we combined resources from Project Gaia, funded by Germany, and Project Leap, funded by Norway, to support member countries with operational coordination and advanced analytics. Our analysts now integrate this intelligence with data from Operation Thunder, coordinated with the WCO and funded by the European Commission. Central to our model is the strategic use of notices, including silver notices, due to the overlap of environmental crimes with money laundering and corruption. We also deploy operational teams with advanced forensic capabilities for data extraction and analysis. Interpol invests in advancing operational capacities of member states. A key example is the establishment of the Amazon International Police Cooperation Center in Brazil. In one of its first coordinated operations against illegal gold mining in the Amazon Basin, authorities disabled 277 dredges on the Madeira River, worth an estimated $6.8 million. To conclude, our collective ability to protect forests, biodiversity, and natural resources depends on strong international cooperation empowered institutions and evidence-driven enforcement. Interpol remains committed to supporting all member states in advancing these objectives for the benefit of global development and security. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Interpol. I now pass the floor to the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, UNAFEI. You have the floor, please.

Madam Chair, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, UNIFAI, as the co-organizer of Workshop 1 on building resilient societies linked to this agenda item, would like to say a few words drawn from the workshop's discussion. Before going to detail, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to His Excellency Ambassador Bone for his excellent chairmanship and to all distinguished speakers for their significant contribution. Madam Chair, advancing innovative and evidence-based crime prevention strategies is essential for building resilient societies and protecting women, children, and youth, and for fostering a culture of lawfulness. Now, allow me to emphasize three key concepts that emerged from the workshop's discussion. First, effective crime prevention must address the root causes of both crime and victimization. This requires tackling poverty, exclusion, trauma, and weak social support, while strengthening protective factors that promote dignity, recovery, and social inclusion. Second, resilience depend on strong communities, multi-stakeholder partnership. Particular attention should be given to fostering collective efficacy and evidence-based community level effect that protects community from crime, which is produced by combination of A, social cohesion and trust among community members, and B, their willingness to intervene to prevent crime and delinquency. In this context, justice institutions, local authorities, schools, social and health services, civil society, families, and community volunteers all have important roles to play. Such initiatives would also lead to culture of lawfulness and enable communities to prevent risks from escalating into crime and victimization. Third, resilience-oriented responses require coordinated intervention at the individual, family, and community levels. Measures such as counseling, family support, education, and employment can promote recovery, accountability, and long-term public safety. Interventions should be tailored, trauma-informed, gender and age responsive, and evidence-based. Madam Chair, the workshop demonstrated that safer and more resilient societies are built through inclusion, partnership, and trust. While criminal justice systems play an important role, long-term success depends on community engagement and support. UNIFAI, as an institute of UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program Network, will promote these messages through our training programs and is willing to assist countries to build resilience societies in this regard. I thank you for your attention.

Thank you very much, Una Fe.

Now I give the floor to the Council of Europe.

You have the floor.

Thank you very much, Madam President.

Welcomes this discussion on advancing innovative and evidence-based crime prevention strategies towards social, economic and environmental development. In fact, the title of this agenda item captures an important reality. Crime prevention cannot be considered in isolation from the conditions in which crime develops, nor from the consequences crime has for our societies. Effective prevention must be based on evidence, underscoring where risks arise, which groups and communities are particularly exposed, how criminal markets evolve, and which interventions actually work. It must also be comprehensive. Social development matters for crime prevention. Inequality, exclusion, and vulnerability can create conditions that criminal networks exploit. Prevention, therefore, requires strong communities, protection of rights, and access to institutions and justice. we must also pay particular attention to those who may face heightened risks, including women, youth, and children. This is fundamentally a human rights approach to prevention, understanding who is at risk, why they are at risk, and designing interventions on the basis of evidence rather than assumptions. Economic development also matters. Corruption, illicit financial flows, and organized crime undermine legitimate economies and divert resources away from public services and development. Prevention must make our economies and institutions more resilient to criminal infiltration. And, of course, an increasingly environmental protection matter. Environmental crime destroys natural resources, damages livelihoods and human health, and threatens biodiversity and ecosystems. In some cases, the damage is irreversible. This is why prevention needs to move further upstream from reacting to individual offences, towards identifying risks early, reducing opportunities for crime, and building resilience. The Council of Europe contributes to this through a substantial body of criminal law treaties in a highly integrated legal system, which ranges from cybercrime and economic crime to trafficking in human beings and human organs to falsified medical products, from extradition to mutual legal assistance and confiscation of criminal assets, but also Of course, these treaties are open not only to the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, but also to countries from other regions. These treaties are not simply instruments for prosecution. They are also instruments for prevention. Our newest criminal law treaty illustrates particularly well this connection between prevention and sustainable development. The Council of Europe Convention on Environmental Crime, open for signature in December, responds to the growing scale and complexity of environmental crime. Its approach goes deliberately beyond punishment. It includes preventive measures, promotes awareness and cooperation with relevant stakeholders, strengthens international cooperation, and provides protection for victims, witnesses, and persons reporting environmental offences. More importantly, it recognises that environmental crime requires a multidisciplinary response. Criminal justice authorities need to work with environmental regulators, but also with scientists and customs authorities, with financial investigators and civil society, and of course with the private sector. This is also where innovation matters, between information sharing, new technologies, financial investigations and stronger international networks, which can help us identify environmental crime earlier, understand evolving criminal methods and intervene when damage becomes irreversible. The central message from the Council of Europe is therefore straightforward: Evidence-based crime prevention requires us to connect criminal justice, human rights, and social, economic, and environmental policies. The Council of Europe stands ready to strengthen this work with the UNODC and its member states, and also with partners across the regions, in line with the formal pledges which were made to you yesterday. Because effective crime prevention does more than reduce crime. It protects people, strengthens institutions and economies, and safeguards the environment on which our common future depends. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, the Council of Europe.

The floor to the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice. You have the floor.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. The landscape of crime and criminal justice is changing rapidly. Crime is becoming increasingly complex, while technological and social changes continue to challenge conventional approaches to crime prevention and criminal justice. In this environment, effective police must begin with reliable evidence evidence that allows us to understand the problems accurately and assess objectively whether our policies are actually working. Evidence-based criminal justice policy is not simply about collecting more data. It requires a continuous process of understanding crime trends and their causes. evaluating the actual impact of policies and institutions, and bringing those findings back into policy making. Research institutions have an important role to play in this process. The Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice has continued to strengthen both research and data infrastructure to support evidence-based criminal justice policies in the Republic of Korea. KICJ conduct the Korean Crime Victim Survey and operates CCJS, our Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics System. CCJS brings together statistics produced by different parts of the criminal justice system, including the police, prosecution, court, and corrections, providing researchers and policymakers with more effective access to reliable criminal justice data. However, as crime increasingly crosses national borders, Evidence-based policymaking cannot rely solely on the experience and that of a single country. We need internationally comparable data, common standards and methodologies, and stronger mechanisms for sharing knowledge and experience. In this regard, KSCJ highly values in the cooperation with international partners. including the UNODC Centre of Excellence for Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice in Asia and the Pacific. We intend to continue contributing to international initiatives, including the International Crime Victims Survey and the development of statistical frameworks for cybercrime. to strengthen reliable and internationally comparable crime and criminal justice data. We also believe that UNODC and the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network Institutes, or PNI, provide important platforms for sharing data, researching findings and police experience across countries. KICJ will continue to strengthen our national research and data infrastructure, including CCJS and crime victimization surveys, while working closely with UNODC, the PNI, and our international partners to build stronger and more internationally comparable evidence, and most importantly, to translate that evidence into better criminal justice policies. Thank you so.

Thank you very much to the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice. I now have the pleasure to give the floor to the Medical Impact.

Chair, distinguished delegates and colleagues, Medical Impact delivers humanitarian healthcare in extreme marginalization, hard to reach communities and post-disaster settings. Alongside clinical care, we conduct research and health diplomacy to translate frontline experience into evidence-based policy. Our experience has shown the value of coordination between civil society and public institutions, particularly during natural disasters. In Mexico, major hurricanes and floods, our team have worked shoulder to shoulder with the Mexican Armed Forces and public institutions. More recently, Following the earthquakes of Colombia and Venezuela, our operations were coordinated with law enforcement and health authorities at the local, regional, and national level. This cooperation is particularly relevant in crime prevention. In Cochoapa el Grande, one of Mexico's most marginalized municipalities, as in many other communities affected by the presence of organized crime, Medical Impact provides medical care, psychological support, and other essential services under the principles of neutrality and impartiality. This humanitarian approach allows us to enter how to reach communities and provide access to healthcare without distinction. Through that work, healthcare professionals can engage families and young people in drug use prevention, promote sport and healthier lifestyles, and address risks that can lead young people into cycles of drugs, violence, and crime. We see this elsewhere. In Sierra Leone, healthcare in prisons helps us build trust with persons deprived of liberty and support pathways towards successful integration. In Colombia, providing healthcare to migrants along their journeys also help us understand communities, vulnerabilities, and risks that can inform crime prevention. This harm reduction at its earliest stage, reducing risks before they become irreversible harm. We also have seen the consequences of policies that do not sufficiently consider illicit markets. In Latin America, prohibiting vaping devices pushed an existing market underground, creating opportunities for organized crime, a health problem that became a security problem. Evidence-based sanitary and harm reduction approaches can help avoid such unintended consequences. The lesson for the Abu Dhabi Declaration is practical. Meaningful engagement with civil society cannot end with consultation. Civil society should participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of crime prevention policies, working alongside public authorities and within clearly established institutional frameworks. The Kyoto, Doha and Abu Dhabi processes recognize that crime is increasingly complex and interconnected. We encourage Member States to bring public health, evidence-based decision-making and harm reduction into crime prevention and to create practical mechanisms for implementation alongside trusted civil society partners. Our experience shows that this cooperation is already possible. The opportunity is before us to strengthen. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I now give the floor to Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Jitok, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. At the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, we have learned that the most innovative responses to organized crime rarely begin in conference rooms. They begin in communities. Innovation is not always about technology or creating something entirely new. It is often about recognizing when past approaches are no longer sufficient and adapting to changing realities. In Mathare, Nairobi, our partner, Young Offenders Legal Aid and Reform Advocacy, discovered that gangs were no longer targeting out-of-school youth. They were targeting high school graduates for their skills. So the organization went into the schools themselves, raising awareness on organized crime, coaching students in art and sports, and helping final year students improve their exam results, opening pathways to scholarships and jobs. In Aceh, Indonesia, Yayasan Gotani recognized that the public response to human trafficking was not keeping pace with the shifting market. Educated young people were being lured through social media with fake job offers. Their response was to launch counter-narratives across the same platforms, including in sign language to maximize reach. In Latin America, communities have turned to art as a powerful crime prevention tool. In Mexico, muralism has transformed public spaces into platforms for protest against femicide, forced disappearances, and organized violence. Over 100 artists participated in Ciudad Juarez alone, turning city walls into calls for justice that drew the attention of the United Nations. These murals do more than protest. They rebuild community cohesion, help people process collective trauma, and give victims a voice against criminal groups and the impunity that protects them. None of these communities applied a universal template. Their solutions are innovative precisely because they are contextual. Supporting these initiatives means recognizing that the most effective crime prevention strategies are not designed from the outside and replicated everywhere. They are built from within by the people who understand the problem best. But we also have to be clear. Communities need support from their own governments and the international community in order to see their solutions and initiatives come to fruition. the stories are increasingly difficult to bring to the multilateral level in person, which has a negative impact on the value of the discussions here in these boardrooms. As the follow-up to this Congress begins, GI-Talk calls on the UN and Member States to join us in supporting and empowering locally-led resilience initiatives through working with civil society as partners and bringing their expertise to bear in the development of UN initiatives. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you very much, G. Doc.

Now I give the floor to the representative of Morocco. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, representatives of delegations. On behalf of the Moroccan delegation, I wish to thank you for giving us this opportunity to share these views on this agenda item. And I wish, at the outset, to reaffirm the commitment by the Kingdom of Morocco to shed light on crime prevention as one of the most important entry points to prevent and fight crime, namely through preempting the committing of crimes and through relentless efforts to prevent reoffending. Within the Kingdom of Morocco, our criminal justice responses are based on important pillars and principles, namely an evidence-based approach, as we've established a national criminal observatory, which collects and analyzes data. And we've also launched research on criminal activity. This observatory encompasses all relevant stakeholders. A technical team was established. a scientific team was also established. It also includes law enforcement agencies and judicial agencies, namely the public prosecution and the Supreme Judicial Court, in addition to the internal security services, as well as representatives of various stakeholders such as preventive institutions, as well as financial investigation agencies. This observatory also cooperates with universities. Partnerships have been established with all Moroccan universities. This national observatory so far has conducted various research on crime in Morocco from a national perspective, as we know that crimes have different drivers and root causes, and they differ from one country to another. All national security and judicial institutions include teams that analyze, and collect data on criminal activity and phenomena, which ensures that we provide adequate information and intelligence in this regard. We are now working on a criminal map through an application to identify the distribution of hotspots and provide numbers. which reflect criminal activity internally. Our response is also centered around people, whether it is about the offender or the victim. We continue to amend the legislation and implement institutional reforms for this very purpose. We are currently also working on reinforcing social services within our penitentiary sector. 500 social service workers are providing social legal services for people in conflict with the law, as well as the victims. We've also established specialized cells that provide care to women and children, victims of offenses. We've also established shelters for victims of trafficking in person and human beings. And we've established rehabilitation and reintegration programs, namely the Musalaha program, which combats violent extremism The center currently conducted 21 iterations of this program, benefiting some 500 people. And they have benefited from the exemption of His Majesty the King of following a reconsideration of their extremist ideologies. 436 persons who were charged were exempted. through this amnesty. And in this regard, no reoffending case has been identified. And within the penitentiary centers, there are no individuals charged with terrorist-related charges. Another program has been established for the returnees from hotspots. a program that ensures reconciliation with the community, with religious leaders. Rehabilitation programs have also been established to ensure their reintegration within the community. I also wish to draw your attention to the importance of coordinating the judicial response with public policies. judicial institutions cannot achieve prevention without coordinating with public policy agencies and public authorities. As we know, judicial policies go hand in hand with public policies. Therefore, I underline the need to strengthen the judicial system through the provision of necessary financial resources and staff to provide the necessary level of efficiency. And we stress the need to ensure the inclusion of local communities and the civil society in this battle to ensure prevention, considering its proximity with the people. Therefore, engagement with the international community is essential. essential to ensure an effective, integrated criminal response. I thank you.

Thank you very much to the representative of Morocco.

The floor to Caritas Internationalis.

Madame President, Promoting a rights-based approach means placing the individual, the victim, at the heart of the process, enabling the individual to be in proper circumstances in order to bear witness, which is necessary in order to prosecute traffickers without making use of the weakest links who were used for criminal purposes. Moreover, applying the principle of non-punishment to the victims of trafficking in persons requires carrying out a large number of investigations and equally requires support and assistance in social, legal terms, providing employment, health, translation throughout the process. Strengthening cooperation and partnerships, therefore, is the bedrock of effective support, and this applies at the local level in order to provide comprehensive care for victims. This applies equally internationally. Exchanges between countries are particularly relevant in our times, where the internet makes it possible to organize crimes that take place a long way away. Coordinating the police forces of different courses is equally necessary in order to engage in joint investigations, ensure exchange of information among magistrates across borders, guaranteeing support for victims and their families by working together with institutions and associations in relevant countries to address the risks that the concerned individual faces. and, above all, ensure that countries are able to strengthen their approaches. At times, there is resolve channeled through partnerships and ambitious projects, but what is equally necessary is to have the means in order to be able to carry out these actions in constrained budgetary circumstances. Therein lies the need to ensure that preventing and combating all forms of crime, and in particular those that are linked to sexual exploitation, labor exploitation, as well as forced criminality, become a matter of political priority in each and every one of our countries. Given that the Internet facilitates and conceals the act of trafficking in persons, that this takes new forms in times of war, affects children of increasingly younger ages, how is it possible that some of our countries which have ratified international texts have failed to implement on the ground an effective mechanism to identify, provide guidance to, and protection for the victims of trafficking in persons. Policies to combat trafficking in persons are only effective once they apply to the real circumstances and realities of individuals in situations of risk, survivors, professionals operating in the field, and local communities. Let us act together above and beyond our borders. Madam President, Caritas Internationalis and the global CodeNet network wish to thank you.

Thank you very much, Caritas. I now give the floor to KADIRA Foundation. You have the floor.

Distinguished Chair, Excellencies, Honoured Delegates and Esteemed Colleagues, We, the people of the United Nations, beyond by our shared pledge in the UN Charter to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and the worth of human person, and in the equal rights of men and women, a promise that was codified over 70 years ago. And today, we all stand at a digital crossroads. As we all navigate today to extend that very equality into the digital age, ensuring fundamental freedoms and equality apply without distinction as to the sex, ethnicity, or status. I'm Advocate Tania Jha from Mumbai, India, founder of Kadira Foundation, an NGO working at the intersection of law, technology, and governance. Today, I address you all not as a founder of an NGO, but as a voice for those vulnerable users of digital platforms who fall victim to non-consensual intimate imagery and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. These abuse severely limits the participation in the digital economy, costing global economy over trillion dollars in loss of productivity and pushing up to 60% of abused women offline. In India, the National Crime Records Bureau reported that cyber crimes against women increased by more than 23% between 2021 and 2023. In 2023 alone, more than 10,700 such cases were registered across the country, with the states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu reporting highest numbers. In Maharashtra, more than 1,061 in 2021 to 1,845 in 2024 cases were registered. while in the state of Tamil Nadu recorded 198 sexual exploitation and cyber harassment cases targeting women in 2024. This pattern reflects a growing incidence of digital sexual abuse. While India's IT Amendment Rules 2026 significantly has tightened digital safety regulation by reducing the takedown window for NCI under Rule 3, Sub Rule 2, Clause B, from 24 hours to 2 hours, Reducing the removal timeline for code or government flagged unlawful content under Rule 3, Subrule 2, paragraph from 36 hours to 3 hours. And mandating proactive AI screening to prevent deepfakes and child abuse material under Rule 3, Subrule 3, clause, subclause. We need to learn from the United States, or rather I would say we can look at the United States that has introduced a specific law that is Takedown Act 2025, while establishing a dedicated statutory definitions, criminal penalties for both authentic and AI generated intimate imagery, and a clear financial recovery mechanism under the Violence Act against Women Reauthorization Act. India lacks a civil compensation mechanism for survivors of digital sexual violence and technology-facilitated gender-based abuse. Crucially, while Rule 2, Sub-rule 1, Clause is a pioneering statutory definition for deepfake as a synthetically generated information, its exception for good-faith routine editing remains uncodified, leaving courts to litigate subjectively while victims wait for justice. Also, Article 16 of UN Cybercrime Convention against Cybercrime targets intentional dissemination. Its allowance under paragraph 5 to require proof of an intent to cause harm creates an evidentiary loophole. Perpetrators routinely evade criminal liability by blaming lost devices, cloud sync errors, or malware. Legal framework must establish a statutory duty of care over intimate data so that the negligent storage is no longer excused. To truly honour Article 34 of UN Cybercrime Convention, India must go beyond procedural takedown and pure criminal prosecution under BNS or IT Act. We must guarantee swift civil financial restitution for survivors, creating a financial deterrent against digital abuse. Let us build enforceable legal framework that eliminate digital sexual violence, enforce to accountability, and guarantee an equal digital future for all. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much, Kadriya Foundation. We have gone through the list of speakers. Let me now pass the floor to the Secretariat.

Thank you very much, Madam President, for providing me with the floor. I would just like to kindly ask delegations, in case there would be anybody else wanting to take the floor, to please raise the plate, as we have discovered this morning that it does not work if you just push the button. So that works to speak, but not to ask for the floor. So in case there is anybody else wanting to intervene under this item, kindly raise the plate or inform the secretariat, please. Thank you.

Thank you very much, colleagues. We see no one raising hand or registering in the list of speakers. 28. I think it has been an extremely constructive dialogue and I personally appreciate all of your interventions. I will now adjourn the meeting. We will resume the session tomorrow at 10:00 AM to continue the discussion on agenda item three. Agenda item four. The meeting is now adjourned. My last plea is that you take this evening to enjoy Abu Dhabi. Thank you very much.