The General Assembly,
Alarmed by high costs of crime, particularly in its new and transnational forms, and the danger posed to the individual as such and societies and to the welfare of all nations by the rising incidence of crime,
Reaffirming the responsibility assumed by the United Nations in crime prevention and criminal justice,
Emphasizing the need 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 promotion of the highest standards of fairness, humanity and professional conduct,
Recognizing that many States suffer from an extreme shortage of human and financial resources, which impedes them from responding adequately to problems related to crime,
Recalling its relevant resolutions as well as the decisions of the Economic and Social Council, in which a high level of priority was accorded to the activities of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme and an appropriate share of the overall resources of the United Nations requested for the programme,
Recalling also its resolution 47/91 of 16 December 1992, in which it requested the Secretary-General to strengthen the crime prevention and criminal justice programme and to upgrade, as a matter of urgency, the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Secretariat to a Division,
Taking note of Economic and Social Council resolution 1993/34 of 27 July 1993, in which the Council requested the Secretary-General to strengthen the institutional capacity of the programme to enable it to plan, execute and evaluate operational activities and advisory services in its area of competence, upon request from Member States,
Convinced that the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch can only be effective if it is provided with resources commensurate to its requirements and adequate to allow it to implement its mandates and to respond in a timely and efficient manner to the increasing requests of Member States for its services,
Concerned about the delay in the implementation of General Assembly resolutions 46/152 of 18 December 1991 and 47/91 of 16 December 1992 and Economic and Social Council resolutions 1992/22 of 30 July 1992 and 1993/31 and 1993/34 of 27 July 1993, with respect to the strengthening of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme and the upgrading of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch to a Division,
1. Welcomes with appreciation Economic and Social Council resolutions 1993/27, 1993/28, 1993/29, 1993/30, 1993/31, 1993/32, 1993/33 and 1993/34 of 27 July 1993;
2. Reaffirms the importance of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme and the crucial role it has to play in promoting international cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice, in responding to the needs of the international community in the face of both national and transnational criminality, and in assisting Member States to achieve the goals of preventing crime within and among States and improving the response to crime;
3. Also reaffirms the priority attached to the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 46/152 and 47/91, and the need for an appropriate share of the existing resources of the United Nations for the programme;
4. Requests the Secretary-General, as a matter of urgency, to give effect to General Assembly resolutions 46/152 and 47/91 and to Economic and Social Council resolutions 1992/22, 1993/31 and 1993/34 by providing the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme with sufficient resources for the full implementation of its mandates, in conformity with the high priority attached to the programme;
5. Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to upgrade the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch to a Division, as recommended in and in accordance with General Assembly resolution 47/91;
6. 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 the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, if necessary through the reallocation of resources;
7. Also requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to assist the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as the principal policy-making body in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, to perform its functions and to ensure the proper coordination of all relevant activities in the field, in particular with the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs;
8. Invites the Committee for Programme and Coordination and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions to ensure proper follow-up to the proposals of the Secretary-General in the implementation of the present resolution;
9. Requests the Secretary-General to undertake all steps necessary to ensure the appropriate organization of the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1993/32;
10. Expresses its support for the World Ministerial Conference on Organized Transnational Crime, to be held in Italy in the last quarter of 1994, and calls upon Member States to be represented at the Conference at the highest possible level;
11. Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures, within existing resources, to ensure the appropriate organization of the Conference and to submit its conclusions and recommendations to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session;
12. Welcomes the initiative to hold in Italy in June 1994, under the auspices of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch, the International Conference on "Laundering and Controlling Proceeds of Crime: a Global Approach", to be organized by the Government of Italy and the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council;
13. Invites the relevant funding agencies of the United Nations to consider including crime prevention and criminal justice activities in their funding programmes, from within their existing resources, taking into account 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;
14. Invites Governments to lend their full support to the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme and to increase financial contributions to the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund;
15. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session on the implementation of the present resolution and of resolutions 46/152 and 47/91.
85th plenary meeting
20 December 1993
