For information only - not an official document

UNIS/CP/785
16 October 2014

Statement of UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov, on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

VIENNA, 17 October (UN Information Service) - The following is a statement from the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty:

"To be free from the grip of crime, violence, corruption and insecurity is a priority for people everywhere who recognize the damage to lives caused by this pervasive activity.

This basic human aspiration chimes with a growing recognition across the international community that crime is not simply a social problem, but a grave obstacle to achieving sustainable development.

Criminal activities are an acid eating into the architecture of institutions, such as criminal justice systems. Fair and accountable institutions, embedded in human rights, are designed to protect families, communities and countries against crime's causticity.

In the absence of the rule of law, the essential work of ending poverty can be fatally compromised. The rule of law supports labour regulation, contract enforcement, the promotion of an inward investment climate, access to markets and the creation of fair trade rules, among others. 

An open door for all to key services such as health, education, and clean water, is also fundamental to functioning societies. These services can be improved through legal and administrative review, which has a role in forward looking development strategies.  

Acknowledging these connections, UNODC dedicates itself to working alongside its partners, both inside and outside the UN family, to help end poverty and to use the rule of law as a vital shield in development's defence.

In doing so, it will continue to advocate for states everywhere to ratify and implement the conventions on drugs, crime, and corruption, as well as the universal instruments on terrorism, as the foundation for this work. 

Next year sees member states gather at the Crime Congress in Doha in April. The event provides a welcome opportunity to build momentum and catalyse partnerships. This will ensure that the rule of law is included in the forthcoming post-2015 development agenda, to be adopted at next year's UN Summit." 

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For further information, please contact:

David Dadge
Spokesperson, UNODC
Telephone: (+43- 1) 26060-5629
Mobile: (+43) 699-1459-5629
Email: david.dadge[at]unvienna.org