On 7 March 2021, the Fourteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice adopted by consensus the Kyoto Declaration, calling upon the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to adopt the appropriate policy and operational measures for the follow-up to the declaration and to identify innovative ways to make use of information on progress made in the implementation of the declaration, and inviting the Commission to engage with other relevant stakeholders, including the institutes of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme network, in order to strengthen global partnership in advancing crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
During its thirtieth regular session in May 2021, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice adopted by consensus a resolution entitled “Fourteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice”, through which the Commission approved the Kyoto Declaration on Advancing Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law: Towards the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Member States requested, amongst others, in operative paragraph 11 of the resolution that the Commission, hold intersessional thematic discussions to effectively follow up on the Kyoto Declaration through the sharing of information, good practices and lessons learned, subject to the availability of extrabudgetary resources.
The Commission endorsed a multi-year workplan for the intersessional thematic discussions, which follows the four pillars of the declaration, (PILLAR I Advancing crime prevention; PILLAR II Advancing the criminal justice system; PILLAR III Promoting the rule of law; and PILLAR IV Promoting international cooperation and technical assistance to prevent and address all forms of crime), with each thematic discussion focusing on one thematic pillar of the declaration.
Thematic session 1 (2 December 2024):
Thematic session 2 (3 December 2024):
Thematic session 3 (4 December 2024):
Thematic session 1: Access to justice and equal treatment before the law; Access to legal aid; National sentencing policies (21 September 2023)
Thematic session 2: Effective, accountable, impartial and inclusive institutions; Effective anti-corruption efforts; Social, educational and other measures (22 September 2023)
Thematic session 1: Safeguarding victims’ rights and protecting witnesses and reporting persons; Improving criminal investigation processes (5 December 2022)
Thematic session 2: Improving prison conditions; Reducing reoffending through rehabilitation and reintegration (6 December 2022)
Thematic session 3: Mainstreaming a gender perspective into criminal justice systems; Addressing the vulnerabilities of children and youth in contact with the criminal justice system (7 December 2022)
Thematic session 1: Addressing the causes, including the root causes of crime; enhancing evidence-based crime prevention and promoting tailor-made crime prevention strategies (10 November 2021)
Thematic session 2: Addressing the economic dimension of crime (11 November 2021)
Thematic session 3: Mainstreaming a gender perspective into crime prevention; addressing the needs and protect the rights of children and youth in crime prevention; and empowering youth for crime prevention (12 November 2021)
