Director General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The landmark Doha Declaration adopted in 2015 at the UN Crime Congress recognized the fundamental role of education in preventing crime and strengthening the rule of law.
It called upon UNODC to assist Member States in developing and implementing holistic crime prevention approaches, with an emphasis on children and youth.
The links between quality education and the promotion of just, peaceful and inclusive societies were further reinforced by the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in New York by all UN Member States just a few months after the Doha Declaration.
It is upon this framework that the Education for Justice initiative is based.
Being a key component of the Global Programme for the implementation of the Doha Declaration, the Education for Justice initiative supports educators in promoting a culture of lawfulness and helping prevent crime, violence and corruption.
For the youngest learners, UNODC has created multimedia tools designed to help teach values, build resilience and resolve ethical problems.
An excellent example is the animated video series "The Zorbs", which tells the story of four visitors from outer space who have to rely on fairness, respect and integrity to overcome challenges on Planet Earth.
For secondary school students, Education for Justice provides games and publications addressing UNODC mandate areas such as corruption, human trafficking and terrorism.
Our Resource Guide for Model UN conferences helps students address these topics in their simulations.
For higher education, we have developed a university module series that has been peer-reviewed and tested by several hundred academics from more than five hundred and fifty universities around the world.
And in partnership with UNESCO, UNODC launched a guide on "Strengthening the rule of law through education" to support policies, programmes and curricula that promote a culture of lawfulness.
All resources are available for free online, and we are fostering a network of lecturers addressing rule of law-related topics, with a particular emphasis on participation from developing countries.
With over five thousand resources, our Education for Justice online library is a unique database of educational materials.
UNODC is actively partnering with governments, children and youth, educators, academics, universities and civil society organizations to secure translations of these resources, further expanding the reach of this body of work.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Last month, the UN General Assembly kickstarted a decade of action to achieve the SDGs. Stepping up efforts to promote a culture of lawfulness, in line with the Doha Declaration, is key to delivering by 2030.
The fourteenth UN Crime Congress in Kyoto in April next year will also address education and the empowerment of youth in the context of crime prevention. It is an opportunity to take the achievements of the Doha Programme and the Education for Justice initiative further, and to jointly draw a roadmap from 2020 to 2025 and beyond.
I thank all our partners, and in particular Qatar, for their generous support. We rely on your continued engagement.
Thank you, and I wish you fruitful discussions.
