12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to open in Salvador, Brazil

Photo:Unodc5 April 2010 - Marking the 55th anniversary of United Nations Congresses on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will be held in Salvador, Brazil, from 12-19 April 2010 under the theme: "Comprehensive strategies for global challenges: crime prevention and criminal justice systems and their development in a changing world".

The Congress is a global forum that will bring together the largest and most diverse gathering of policymakers and practitioners in crime prevention and criminal justice from all walks of life. More than 3,000 participants are expected at the 12th Congress.

The opening session of the Congress will take place on 12 April at 10 am in the Plenary Hall of the Centro de Convenções da Bahia. High-level representatives of more than 120 countries are expected to attend.

There are eight items on the Congress agenda that will be discussed in the Plenary and the two Committees: Children, youth and crime; terrorism; crime prevention; smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons; money-laundering; cybercrime; international cooperation in fighting crime; and, violence against migrants and their families.

In addition to the eight items above, the 12th Crime Congress will focus on the role of the criminal justice system as a key pillar of the rule of law architecture and the need for safe and just societies as a prerequisite for development and achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Five workshops on the following themes will also be held: International criminal justice education for the rule of law; survey of United Nations and other best practices in the treatment of prisoners in the criminal justice system; practical approaches to preventing urban crime; links between drug trafficking and other forms of organized crime: international coordinated response and strategies and best practices against overcrowding in correctional facilities.

A high-level segment will be held during the last three days of the Congress (17-19 April), where more than 25 Ministers and other high-level government representatives will address the main agenda items. The political declaration adopted by the Congress will be submitted to the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in its 19th session, to be held in Vienna, Austria, in May 2010.

More than 70 meetings organized by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on various issues related to crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law will also take place.

Crime Congresses have been held every five years since 1955 in different parts of the world and have contributed to shaping international and domestic policies and promoting novel thinking and approaches to complex issues at the heart of one of the key institutions of the modern state: the criminal justice system. The first such Congress was held in Geneva, Switzerland, and was attended by 51 governments, 43 NGOs and 512 participants. The last Congress, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2005, was attended by 129 Governments, 35 NGOs and more than 3,000 participants.

Accreditation at the Congress Venue:

Registration will begin on Friday, 9 April 2010 from 10:00 - 18:00 hours. As of Saturday, 10 April 2010, the registration desk will be open from 08:00 to 18:00 hours, and on 16 and 17 April from 08:00- 21:00 hours. Journalists are encouraged to register online in advance, to avoid delays at the Congress venue. The form and other information is available online on the UNIS website.

For media-related questions, kindly contact:

Maher Nasser
Spokesperson, 12th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice & Director, UNIS Vienna
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-5676
Email: maher.nasser@unvienna.org

Jaya Mohan
Information Officer, UNIS Vienna
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-4448
Email: jaya.mohan@unvienna.org

For further information on media accreditation, kindly contact:

Veronika Crowe-Mayerhofer
Accreditation Assistant, UNIS Vienna
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-3342
Email: press@unvienna.org
Website: www.unis.unvienna.org

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