The State of Qatar has stressed that the Global Program for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration being carried out by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with the support of the State of Qatar, contributes to strengthening judicial integrity, preventing corruption in the judicial system, promoting the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners into society and spreading a culture of respect for the law among children and youth through education and sports.
This came in Qatar's statement before the Third Committee (Social, Human and Cultural Committee) of the UN General Assembly on the two items on "Crime Prevention and Social Justice" and "International Drug Control". The statement was delivered by Hassan Muhanna Al Ajmi, a member of Qatar's delegation taking part in the work of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.
Hassan Muhanna Al Ajmi added that the efforts being made at the national, regional and international levels to combat crime and the scourge of drugs as well as to strengthen criminal justice systems would support the rule of law and contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Plan 2030, noting the important role played by the UNODC through its activities to promote justice and security and support Member States in the fight against transnational organized crime, corruption, terrorism and trafficking in human beings.
Al Ajmi revealed that the number of beneficiaries of capacity-building activities within the Global Program for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration has reached more than 4,000 stakeholders, including policy makers, judges, academics, teachers, sports trainers, children and youth from more than 160 countries, adding that 23 countries have received direct technical assistance to meet their needs, as stated in the report of the Secretary-General.
Recognizing the importance of addressing the dangers of organized crime and its implications for development efforts, the State of Qatar had ratified the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Special Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, he said.
In response to the Qatar National Vision 2030, the first and second national development strategy set out a sectoral strategy for security and safety, as the second national development strategy (2018-2022) included a strategic goal to protect society from drugs through the implementation of projects in rehabilitation and training those working in the field of combating drugs and their supporters, and raising awareness about the dangers of drugs, Al Ajmi said.
As part of the State's relentless efforts to combat human trafficking at the national and international levels, the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking organized the fifth session of the INTERPOL Global Conference in Doha with the aim of supporting the national integrated strategic framework to combat human trafficking in States and achieving compliance with the texts and provisions of the relevant international conventions and protocols, he added.
Qatar, Al Ajmi said, plays a leading role in facilitating negotiations on the organization of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the assessment of the UN Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons held in September 2017 and its Political Declaration, stressing the importance of intensifying efforts to implement all the commitments and recommendations contained in this Declaration, thus contributing to putting an end to the crime of human trafficking.
He added that the State of Qatar is proud to have taken an advanced position in the fight against corruption in the global rankings of Transparency International, thanks to the measures it has taken to fulfill its obligations towards the anti-corruption convention, pointing out that Qatar also continued to present HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, which is granted annually to individuals and institutions that have demonstrated vision, innovation, enthusiasm, commitment and dedication to tackle corruption.
He stressed that, among the State's efforts to implement the Doha Declaration of the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, to provide a safe and robust cyber environment and to prevent and combat cyber-criminal activities, Qatar had invited and welcomed the hosting of an international conference to discuss the issues of cybercrime based on the provisions of international law. Qatar will host the cyber security conference in 2019 in cooperation with the Munich Conference on Security, he said, adding that the conference will discuss the urgent issues related to piracy and digital espionage and its impact on international peace and security.
Concluding, Hassan Muhanna Al Ajmi affirmed Qatar's commitment to fight crime and drugs, promote criminal justice and continue supporting the implementation of the Doha Declaration, in a way that enhances efforts to integrate crime prevention and criminal justice into the wider UN agenda to address social and economic challenges and strengthen the rule of law at the national and international levels.