HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani chaired, in her capacity as Vice-President of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, a high-level debate on the role of regional organisations in strengthening and implementing crime prevention initiatives.
Ambassador Sheikha Alya stressed in her opening speech, on behalf of the President of the General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, the importance of co-operation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organisations, and the pivotal roles of organisations in crime prevention and criminal justice issues, given the magnitude and complexity of the challenges facing the international community today.
Sheikha Alya said she was pleased that a number of representatives of regional organisations participated in the debate, with the goal of enhancing partnerships in those fields, noting that the General Assembly highlighted the strong relationship between sustainable development and criminal justice institutions.
She said that access to a fair judicial system and having institutions that can be held accountable are important parts of sustainable development. In that regard, Sheikha Alya called on regional organisations to contribute to realising the goals of the 2030 sustainable development agenda.
The ambassador highlighted the societal and economic challenges facing sustainable development and the enhancement of crime prevention, stressing the importance of the debate, as it comes in the context of preparing for a high-level political forum on achieving the goals of sustainable development. The forum will be organised by the General Assembly in September this year.
Concluding her speech, Sheikha Alya said that the current deliberations will make a contribution in the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, set to take place in April 2020.
For his part, HE Advisor to HE the Minister of Interior, Major General Abdullah Yousef al-Mal, who is also the chairman of the follow-up committee on the implementation of the Doha Declaration on Crime Prevention, stressed the commitment of Qatar to helping international efforts in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.
He represented Qatar in the second interactive panel discussion titled "Galvanizing support of regional organisations in matters of crime prevention and criminal justice in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Current gaps, emerging trends and new challenges."
He said that Qatar will spare no effort in implementing the Doha Declaration and that it supports efforts to combat crime and promote criminal justice. He added that Qatar is also committed to meeting the societal and economic challenges facing the enhancement of the role of law on a national, regional, and international level.
Major General Abdullah Yousef al-Mal commended the active role of regional organisations in the fight against crime and the implementation of relevant mechanisms, referring to the Doha Declaration of the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held in Doha in 2015, which stressed the important role of regional organisations in crime prevention and criminal justice initiatives. The declaration, in that context, also called for co-operation and exchange of successful experiences in the implementation of effective crime prevention and criminal justice programs and policies among member states and with the relevant international and regional organisations.
He stressed that the GCC region needs the role of regional organisations to face joint challenges, and stressed the importance of regional efforts in combating crime. He noted that fabricating new crises in the region will undermine the important role played by regional organisations, and could reflect negatively on co-operation between the region's countries on one side and the regional organisations and the United Nations on the other.
HE al-Mal called for addressing unilateral and illegal policies that undermine international co-operation in the fight against crime. He added that it was very important to examine ways and measures to prevent the adoption of such policies.
He highlighted that Qatar was fully committed to supporting international efforts in the field of crime prevention, out of its belief in the importance of joint international work. He noted that one of those efforts was hosting the13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2015. He also highlighted Qatar's generous support to the program implementing the Doha Declaration, carried out by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The programme aims to accelerate the implementation of the declaration by enhancing the capabilities of countries, particularly developing ones, in fields such as the judicial system's integrity and fighting corruption among others.
He praised the important role of the United Nations in crime prevention and criminal justice, which contributed to the development of new approaches to dealing with complex issues in the criminal justice system and to the development of legal norms establishing model standards on crime and criminal justice.
HE al-Mal expressed his confidence that the 14th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice would be held in Japan in 2020 will be successful and will build on the achievements of the 13th congress and the Doha Declaration, particularly when it comes to enhancing co-operation with regional organisations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. He reaffirmed the commitment of Qatar to providing all the necessary support to ensure the success of the congress.
