28 May 1987

17th plenary meeting

Review of the functioning and programme of work of the United Nations in crime prevention and criminal justice

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling the responsibility assumed by the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice under Economic and Social Council resolution 155 C (VII) of 13 August 1948, and General Assembly resolution 415 (V) of 1 December 1950, the importance of which was recently reaffirmed by the General Assembly in resolution 41/107 of 4 December 1986,

Bearing in mind the objectives of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, inter#alia, the reduction of criminality, encouragement of more efficient and effective administration of justice, observance of all human rights and promotion of the highest standards of fairness, humanity and professional conduct,

Reaffirming the appeal to Member States and to the Secretary-General to make every effort to translate into action, as appropriate, the respective recommendations, policies and conclusions stemming from the Milan Plan of Action and other relevant resolutions and recommendations adopted unanimously by the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, and to ensure that they are adequately followed up,

Recognizing the pivotal role of the United Nations in promoting the exchange of information, experience and expertise and closer regional and interregional co-operation towards more effective crime prevention and criminal justice strategies and policies,

Noting with concern that the resources available to the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat have decreased while the commitment of the United Nations in this field has increased,

Recalling its resolutions 1986/10, 1986/11 and its decision 1986/129 of 21 May 1986, and General Assembly resolution 40/32 of 29 November 1985,

Bearing in mind its own responsibility to assist in establishing the necessary institutional linkages between the programme of work of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice and other relevant United Nations activities,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on the functioning and programme of work of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice;

2. Endorses the recommendations contained in paragraph 2 of the report and requests the Secretary-General and the bodies concerned to implement them;

3. Requests the Secretary-General, when implementing the measures and priorities proposed in chapter III of the report:

(a) To develop the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat as a specialized body and facilitating agent in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, engaging the available resources of the United Nations system as well as relevant networks outside the United Nations;

(b) To accord priority attention to the prevention and control of the forms of crime identified in the Milan Plan of Action, including those of international dimensions;

(c) To strengthen technical co-operation projects on specific crime issues, action-oriented research and advisory services through the mobilization of the resources of the United Nations system and relevant networks outside the United Nations;

(d) To develop practical measures to assist those Member States that request it in developing crime prevention and criminal justice strategies, including the management of their criminal justice system, and in introducing crime prevention and criminal justice proposals in their national development plans;

(e) To devise strategies for the practical follow-up by the United Nations system of the decisions of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, and to assist Member States in implementing standards and norms adopted by the Organization and in evaluating their impact and effectiveness;

(f) To take measures, in co-operation with the United Nations institutes and other appropriate bodies, to establish an efficient information system on crime prevention and criminal justice which includes a mechanism for the centralization of inputs from non-governmental institutions;

(g) To develop diversified funding strategies, including recourse to voluntary and mixed multilateral and bilateral contributions for specific projects, and strengthen the involvement of the United Nations development agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme;

4. Further requests the Secretary-General to take appropriate measures to ensure that the United Nations programme of work in crime prevention and criminal justice is supported by adequate resources through, inter#alia, appropriate redeployment of staff and funds, and to ensure that the specialized and technical nature of the programme and the high priority attached by Member States to crime prevention and criminal justice are fully reflected in the future management and staffing of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary arrangements for the optimal functioning of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control, in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1986/11, and invites the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control to foster more active intersessional involvement of its members;

6. Encourages the Secretary-General to take further measures to strengthen the institutional linkages within the United Nations system between the programme of work of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice and other relevant activities;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to further the already valuable co-operation with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including professional associations, taking particular advantage of their research, scientific, organizational and other resources;

8. Reaffirms the fundamental importance of the quinquennial congresses on the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders to progress in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice by providing unique opportunities for focusing on specific priority problems, as well as for assessing general trends and sharing perspectives, establishing norms and standards and evaluating their implementation, monitoring the results of the United Nations programme of work as a whole and setting priorities for action in the next quinquennium;

9. Stresses the need for adequate and cost-effective preparations for such congresses by the Secretary-General and Member States, including the appropriate scheduling of interregional preparatory meetings of experts, regional preparatory meetings and the timely circulation of papers prepared for the congresses;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to explore ways and means of supporting and further assisting the United Nations regional and interregional institutes for crime prevention and control, particularly the newly established African Regional Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, as well as the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, and of strengthening co-ordination between the institutes, and invites the United Nations Development Programme to continue to provide effective support and assistance to those institutes;

11. Invites Member States to include in the country programmes of the United Nations Development Programme indications of specific issues in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice in relation to which they feel that assistance is needed;

12. Invites the regional commissions to consider the possibility of integrating appropriate elements of the programme of work of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice into their activities in the field of social development and strengthening their co-operation with United Nations regional institutes and other bodies that conduct regionally oriented activities in this field;

13. Invites Member States to contribute to the United Nations Trust Fund for Social Defence in order to facilitate appropriate technical co-operation and exchange of information and experience in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice;

14. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Economic and Social Council at its first regular session of 1988 on the implementation of the present resolution and to provide information on crime prevention and criminal justice activities throughout the United Nations system, including those at the regional level and those supported by extrabudgetary resources.