Sub-Programme 2
International/Regional Cooperation in Legal Matters
The objective of Sub-Programme 2 is to strengthen regional cooperation and coordination among Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries in fighting drug trafficking, corruption, financial crimes and all kind of crimes fuelled by and connected to the drug economy. This objective is pursued through assisting regional countries in building their capacity as well as bringing their domestic and institutional frameworks in closer compliance with the UN drugs and crime conventions and international standards and norms.
Effective regional criminal justice cooperation can be hindered by different legal systems and gaps in appropriate national, legal provisions. To this end, different legal systems and frameworks across the region as well as the lack of appropriate national legal provisions in some countries have and continue to hinder necessary criminal justice cooperation that is required for a robust and effective response to counter narcotics. Based on that, sub-programme 2 on international/regional cooperation in legal matters seeks to strengthen the rule of law through proving technical/legal support to the countries in West and Central Asia to better address drug and crime related issues at the regional and international level. To do this, the RP countries are provided with legal expertise and advisory services to develop effective and responsible crime prevention strategies and policies and to build the capacity of their criminal justice systems to operate more effectively in addressing the problem.
To strengthen legal cooperation, the Regional Programme provides assistance to support the harmonization of legislative frameworks. This includes among many other areas: support to meetings between General Prosecutors' Offices and establishment of networks of contacts among judicial and prosecutorial institutions; provision of legal advisory services; and, training / workshops on mutual legal assistance, asset recovery and confiscation of illicit assets, control delivery and joint investigative teams, and investigation of trans-national corruption offences.
Additionally, and based on requests from some Member Countries, sub-programme 2 has expanded its areas of interventions to support legal cooperation among the RP countries to better address human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.
The Sub-programme works in partnership with UNODC country and global programmes to ensure a harmonized response from UNODC at all levels. It operationalizes the recommendations of the relevant Paris Pact Expert Working Groups and also helps achieve the goals of the Counter Narcotics Confidence Building Measures (CNCBM) of the Heart of Asia (Istanbul) Process.
Sub-programme 2 operates in three different thematic areas:
- Crime Prevention
- Anti-corruption/integrity
- Anti-money laundering/illicit Financial Flows