The General Assembly,
Alarmed by the high costs of crime, particularly in its new and transnational forms, and by the dangers posed to individual and collective security and to the welfare of countries and peoples by the rising incidence of crime,
Emphasizing the need for global efforts commensurate with the magnitude of national and transnational crime, and for strengthened regional and international cooperation to combat crime in all its forms and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems,
Bearing in mind the goals of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, specifically the reduction of criminality, more efficient and effective law enforcement and administration of justice, respect for human rights and the promotion of the highest standards of fairness, humanity and professional conduct,
Recognizing that many States suffer from extreme shortages of human and financial resources, which prevents them from responding adequately to problems related to crime,
Noting with appreciation the efforts made by many States at the bilateral level to provide assistance and know-how in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice,
Bearing in mind that effective international action in crime prevention and criminal justice requires effective cooperation and improved coordination of all related activities carried out at the bilateral and multilateral levels,
Recalling its previous resolutions in which it expressed its concern about the increasing needs of Member States and the capacity of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme to meet them,
Recalling also the recommendations of the Ministerial Meeting on the Creation of an Effective United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, held at Versailles, France, from 21 to 23 November 1991, which were adopted by the General Assembly by its resolution 46/152 of 18 December 1991 on the creation of an effective United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, and which included the statement of principles and programme of action contained in the annex to the resolution,
Taking note of Economic and Social Council resolution 1992/1 of 6 February 1992, by which the Council decided to establish the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice,
Mindful of the responsibilities of the Commission, recommended by the Ministerial Meeting and entrusted to it by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in their relevant resolutions,
Recognizing the need for an appropriate Secretariat support structure capable of performing the new functions mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 46/152 and by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1992/22 of 30 July 1992,
Concerned about the disparity between the scope of the required work and the limited resources available, including resources for practical measures, to assist Member States, upon their request, in dealing with their most urgent needs in preventing and combating crime problems,
1. Welcomes the establishment of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the results of its first session, held at Vienna from 21 to 30 April 1992;
2. Welcomes with appreciation Economic and Social Council resolutions 1992/22, 1992/23 and 1992/24 of 30 July 1992;
3. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the measures taken to implement the statement of principles and programme of action of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders and on the strengthening of international cooperation in combating organized crime;
4. Recognizes that the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme has a special contribution to make in a world seeking to surmount serious problems of violence and crime;
5. Recalls the priority themes established by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1992/22 to guide the work of the Commission in the development of a detailed programme and the budget allocations for the period 1992-1996, as follows:
(a) National and transnational crime, organized crime, economic crime, including money laundering, and the role of criminal law in the protection of the environment;
(b) Crime prevention in urban areas, juvenile and violent criminality;
(c) Efficiency, fairness and improvement in the management and administration of criminal justice and related systems, with due emphasis on the strengthening of national capacities in developing countries for the regular collection, collation, analysis and utilization of data in the development and implementation of appropriate policies;
6. Requests the Secretary-General to support the operational activities and advisory services of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, within existing resources from the regular budget of the Organization commensurate to its high priority and importance, and independently of resources available through voluntary contributions;
7. Also requests the Secretary-General to provide from existing resources adequate funds to build and maintain the institutional capacity of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme to respond to requests of Member States for assistance in this field;
8. Further requests the Secretary-General, as a matter of urgency, to take all measures necessary to effect the upgrading of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat into a division, as recommended in and in accordance with resolution 46/152;
9. Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures for assisting the Commission in performing its functions as the principal policy-making body in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice and for ensuring the proper coordination of all relevant activities in the field, in particular with the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs;
10. Invites the relevant funding agencies of the United Nations to consider including crime prevention and criminal justice activities in their funding programmes, bearing in mind their established priorities, at a level of priority commensurate to the increasing needs of Member States in the field, and to cooperate closely with the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme in planning and implementing those activities;
11. Invites Governments to lend their full support to the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme and to increase their financial contributions to the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund.
89th plenary meeting
16 December 1992
