High-level representatives from the countries in the region, including Mexico, Panama, Brazil participated and commented on the priority areas to be addressed within the Strategic Vision, providing examples of their national efforts recognizing the challenges in the region and welcoming the regional cooperation and exchange of experiences.
"In Mexico we are prioritizing international issues. Observance of the Anti-Corruption Convention is a priority, as is follow-up to political declarations stemming from the UNGASS2021 special session," said Gerardo Laveaga, Head of the Transparency Unit of the Secretariat of the Public Function of Mexico.
Judge María Eugenia López Arias, President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Panama emphasized the fundamental role of UNODC, “Not only in promoting the United Nations Convention against Corruption, but also in its permanent advice and consultation."
"The offence is not mitigated or diminished by the thorough criminalization of conduct and the establishment of more stringent sanctions” she continued, adding that “The success of Criminal Law, as an instrument of social control, and its procedural correlation, depends on the presence of an effective State Criminal Policy."
“Brazil has a patrimonial approach based on the financial decapitalization of criminal organizations, said Luiz Roberto Beggiora, National Secretary for Drug Policies and Asset Managment, Ministry of Justice and Public Security of Brazil. This means, he continued, “Taking money from the illicit trafficker and reinvesting it to fight them.”
“Last year, we had over US$ 200 million of assets that were taken from crime,” Mr. Beggiora highlighted, and “The funds that are collected are reapplied both in preventing and fighting drug trafficking, what we call in Brazil a ‘virtuous circle’. This virtuous circle feeds back as more assets are sold, and more resources are generated for the qualification and strengthening of the police forces that seizure these assets.”
The Strategic Vision further highlights Latin America and the Caribbean’s partnership and commitment towards the mandates of UNODC through their role in the international policy arena and by sharing experiences and promoting the South-South cooperation.
The document provides a regional approach for the implementation of the
UNODC Strategy 2021-2025. It builds on the region’s three decades of partnership with UNODC and represents a renewed pledge to work together towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The Strategic Vision prioritizes four of the
five UNODC thematic areas, namely addressing the world drug problem, combatting transnational organized crime, countering corruption and economic crime, and enhancing crime prevention and criminal justice.
Original Webstory taken from UNODC's HQ web page.
