30 July 1992

41st plenary meeting

Preparations for the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders

The Economic and Social Council,

Considering that, pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 415 (V), annex, of 1 December 1950 and 46/152, annex, of 18 December 1991, the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders is to be convened in 1995,

Recognizing the significant contributions of the United Nations congresses on the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders to the promotion and strengthening of international cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice,

Bearing in mind the new role of the congresses stipulated in paragraph 29 of the Statement of Principles and Programme of Action annexed to General Assembly resolution 46/152,

Taking note of the note by the Secretary-General on the preparations for the Ninth Congress,

1. Decides that the following topics could be included in the provisional agenda for the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, as recommended by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at its first session:

(a) International cooperation and practical technical assistance for strengthening the rule of law: promoting the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme;

(b) Action against national and transnational economic, organized and environmental crime: national experiences and international cooperation;

(c) Criminal justice systems: management and improvement of police, prosecution, courts and corrections;

(d) Crime prevention strategies, in particular as related to crimes in urban areas and juvenile and violent criminality, including the question of victims: assessment and new perspectives;

2. Requests the Commission at its second session to finalize the provisional agenda for the Ninth Congress and to make its recommendations to the Council, taking into account the following:

(a) The Ninth Congress should deal with a limited number of precisely defined substantive topics, which should reflect the urgent needs of the world community;

(b) The final selection of those topics should be made in accordance with the priorities set by the Commission;

(c) The holding of action-oriented research and demonstration workshops related to the topics mentioned in paragraph 1 above, as part of the programme of the Ninth Congress, and ancillary meetings associated with its provisional agenda;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a discussion guide for the consideration of the Commission, including proposals for the workshops in cooperation with the interregional and regional institutes for the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders, and invites Member States to be actively involved in that process;

4. Also requests the Secretary-General to prepare draft rules of procedure for the Ninth Congress, taking into account:

(a) The terms of reference of the United Nations congresses on the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders, stipulated in the Statement of Principles and Programme of Action annexed to General Assembly resolution 46/152;

(b) The need for all draft resolutions on the selected topics to be submitted well in advance of the Ninth Congress;

5. Invites the regional commissions, interregional and regional institutes for the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders, government-appointed national correspondents in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, specialized agencies and other entities within the United Nations system, the intergovernmental organizations concerned and relevant non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to become actively involved in the preparations for the Ninth Congress;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to facilitate the organization of the following:

(a) Ancillary meetings of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, held at the site of the Ninth Congress, to deal with issues relating to substantive items of the provisional agenda for the Ninth Congress, in accordance with existing legislative regulations;

(b) Meetings of professional and geographical interest groups held at the site of the Ninth Congress;

7. Also requests the Secretary-General to provide the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme with the resources necessary to undertake, in an effective and timely manner, within the overall appropriations of the programme budget for the biennium 1992-1993 and adequate resources for the biennium 1994-1995, the preparatory activities for the Ninth Congress, as directed by the Commission, including the organization of regional preparatory meetings;

8. Further requests the Secretary-General to provide resources, as required, in accordance with established United Nations budgetary practice, within the overall appropriations of the programme budget for the biennium 1992-1993 and adequate resources for the biennium 1994-1995, to ensure an appropriate programme of public information related to the preparations for the Ninth Congress;

9. Takes note with appreciation of the offer of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to act as host for the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders.