UNIS/CP/495
30 June 2004
United Nations, Mexico Discuss Implementation of Crime-Related Conventions
VIENNA, 30 June (UN Information Service) -- The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Mexico Rafael Macedo De la Concha met today with Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Mr. Macedo is heading the Mexican delegation at the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Crime Convention currently meeting in Vienna.
Speaking at the Conference this morning, Mr. Macedo said that “transnational crime has grown due to indifference and lack of coordination among States” but “today, Vienna represents the beginning of a new era of international cooperation.” During his meeting with Mr. Costa, he reiterated Mexico’s commitment and progress made in adapting their legislation to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) and offered to help other countries to ratify and implement this Convention. In this respect, the Mexican delegation also proposed several principles for a possible evaluation mechanism, which would help to “shut down the doors that today remain open to the rise of criminal organizations”. These include -- inter alia -- the commitment of Member States to ratify the Convention and translate its content into national legislation, and the development of a model legislation against organized crime.
Other issues that were discussed dealt with technical cooperation to be developed with the support of UNODC in the area of monitoring of illicit crops in Mexico, a possible Mexico-based training centre for prosecutors and judges from Central American and Caribbean countries and concerted action against kidnapping.
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