For information only - not an official document
DOHA, 15 April 2015 (UN Information Service) -Participants from around world observed a minute's silence at the UN Crime Congress in Doha on Wednesday for some 400 people who are reported to have drowned in the latest capsizing of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean. The UN Crime Congress participants were attending a high-level event, "Why do victims matter?" on the 30 th anniversary of the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power.
The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, expressed his horror at the latest migrant tragedy, and called for stronger international cooperation to confront criminal networks that callously exploit vulnerable groups. Watch his statement here, listen to the UN Radio report or read more in French.
Also on Wednesday, UNODC and the International Centre for Sport Security announced a partnership to help strengthen cross-border investigations and prosecutions into match-fixing and the manipulation of sports competitions. Match-fixing was not only "a "simple" breach of sporting rules but also a criminal justice issue, Mr. Fedotov told the meeting and the links with other criminal activities are an additional challenge.
More than 6,000 kg of heroin has been detected in the Indian Ocean region in the last two years but many drug traffickers, even when caught, are escaping prosecution. The problem of impunity on the high seas was discussed at an event at the Crime Congress today with Ministers from Sri Lanka and Seychelles and the head of UNODC. There is a press release in Arabic here.
There were other key events examining violence against children and reviewing the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption, and you can watch the archived webcasts here. Participants also discussed how to strengthen crime prevention and criminal justices responses to new and emerging crimes such as cybercrime and trafficking in cultural property.
All the latest photos from the 13 th UN Crime Congress are available on the website and can be downloaded from Flickr here.
Press releases about the deaths of the migrants, violence against children, match-fixing, and countering narcotics trafficking on the high seas of the Indian Ocean are also available in Arabic.
All the latest news and interviews are available on the UN Crime Congress website and you catch key moments and events by following us on Twitter: @crimecongress13 and use #crimecongress when you post news from the Crime Congress.
A full list of events for Thursday 15 th April open to the media is now available on the website.
