Tweet for Justice, an initiative launched by the Media Committee under the Preparatory Committee of the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, seeks to use social media to ensure the continuous engagement of opinion-makers, influencers, social media activists, law-enforcement agencies and the general public in efforts towards crime prevention and the promotion of criminal justice.
This is in line with the statements of delegates of the 13th crime congress that conferences, resolutions and “promises on paper” will not be enough to sustain the fight against crime, according to a statement.
The event, being held at the Qatar National Convention Centre, concludes today.
The official launch of the project was made on the penultimate day of the congress in the presence of Major General Abdullah Yousuf al-Mal, adviser to HE the Minister of Interior and chairperson of the Preparatory Committee.
“From the proceedings of the 13th UN crime congress, we realised that fighting crime truly relies on the sustained involvement of everyone - beyond the duration of the congress itself,” said Abdullah Khalifa al-Muftah, head of the Media Committee. “This is why we developed the idea of Tweet for Justice.”
He stressed that Tweet for Justice aims to continue the dialogue between the public and law-enforcement agencies to make sure that the essence of the Doha Declaration - that sustainable development and the rule of law are strongly interrelated and mutually reinforcing - is made the basis of future law-enforcement policies.
The public can share their thoughts on crime prevention and criminal justice using the hashtag, #tweet4justice
The popularity and integration of social media with traditional forms of communication have created new opportunities for the public to conduct a continuing dialogue with law-enforcement agencies. This can foster understanding, co-operation and a more comprehensive approach to countering all forms of crime, violence, corruption and terrorism, and to ensuring co-ordinated, coherent implementation, the statement adds.
“It is but fitting for us to launch this social media initiative since Qatar has the advantage of being one of the most networked-ready nations in the world,” said al-Muftah.
The Media Committee hopes that Tweet for Justice becomes the starting point of a sustained global discussion that will involve everyone who desires peace in the world to help in the adoption of comprehensive and inclusive national crime prevention and criminal justice policies and programmes; ensure the right of everyone to a fair trial without undue delay; review and reform legal aid policies; include gender perspective and youth-related concerns into criminal justice efforts; counter corruption and enhance transparency in public administration.
230 workshops and meetings
The 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice has witnessed some 230 meetings and workshops, attended by 110 ministers, including prime ministers, ministers of interior, foreign affairs and justice, public prosecutors, attorney-generals and representatives of 142 countries.
In total, there have been 198 ancillary meetings and 140 instant translations during the congress, in which 10 languages have been used for communication, according to a statement.
Further, the event has been covered by 685 media personnel and attended by around 5,000 delegates from around the world.
Officials at the launch of Tweet for Justice.
