Regional Programme for the Arab States to Prevent and Combat Crime, Terrorism and Health Threats and to Strengthen Criminal Justice Systems in Line with International Human Rights Standards (2016-2021) Steering and Follow-Up Committee Meeting Cairo, 28-29 November 2017 Opening statement by Ms. Cristina Albertin Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Excellency, Ambassador Fadel Mohamed Jawad, Assistant-Secretary-General and Head of Legal Affairs Sector, General Secretariat, League of Arab States Excellency, Counselor Yasser Abdel Monem, Director, Legal Studies and Affairs Department, Legal Affairs Sector, General Secretariat, League of Arab States Excellencies, General Salah Hegazy, and Wael Al-Shamy, Representatives of the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior Distinguished delegations from the Member States, Ladies and Gentlemen, In my capacity as the new UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa, I am honoured to welcome you to the annual Steering and Follow-Up Committee meeting of the 2016-2021 Regional Programme for the Arab States to Prevent and Combat Crime, Terrorism and Health Threats, and to Strengthen Criminal Justice Systems, in line with International Human Rights Standards. I arrived in Egypt and the region only few weeks ago and therefore it is my special pleasure to be here with all of you who are partners to our Regional Programme in this important annual dialogue and meeting. Before I start, I would like to express on behalf of UNODC and our Executive Director, Mr. Yury Fedotov, our heartfelt condolences for the recent loss of so many lives in the terror attack on worshippers at Al-Rawda Mosque in North Sinai in Egypt, and to reiterate our commitment to support the League of Arab States and all Governments in the region to continue our collective fight against terrorism. At the outset, please allow me also to express my deep gratitude to Ambassador Fadel M. Jawad Assistant-Secretary-General and Head of Legal Affairs Sector, General Secretariat, League of Arab States, and his team, for organizing this meeting and being our host at the Headquarters of the Arab League. I also would like to express my sincere thanks for your coming to this meeting, also from places far away and committing time to this yearly interaction under the umbrella of the Regional Programme. We do appreciate this as a sign of true partnership for peace, security, and the rule of law in the region.
I wish also to thank you all, distinguished delegations and Focal Points representing the Ministries of Health, Justice and Interior of the Member States, for your contributions and for our thriving partnership not only over the last year, but indeed since 2011. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Last year, we launched the second Regional Programme of the Arab States thus reconfirming our collective commitment to addressing crime, corruption, terrorism and drug and HIV related health risks in the framework of UN, international and regional conventions including the international criminal justice standards. A great deal has already been achieved through programmes of cooperation and technical assistance under the past and the ongoing Regional Programmes. We have achieved great results together, results that we can be proud of and on which we can and must build in the future for the well-being of the people of the region. This annual Steering and Follow-Up Committee meeting is an important event for all of us as it gives us the opportunity to interact, engage with each other and discuss progress made, the challenges faced, as well as emerging threats, priorities and opportunities that we see. This meeting is crucial as we look forward to receiving your feedback so that we collectively agree on the future direction of our activities. We are meeting at a time when transnational organized crime and terrorism continue to pose grave threats to the region and the world. Many of the UNODC mandates are interconnected and this has been increasingly recognized by the international community and also the UN Security Council, in particular with regard to the nexus between organized crime and terrorism and with regard to trafficking of persons in conflict and post-conflict situations. Increased counter-terrorism efforts by all member states have yielded important results, however, we continue to face important challenges when it comes to effectively dealing with the issues of funding of terrorism, foreign terrorist fighters and violent extremism as well as with investigating and prosecuting terrorism offences to bring perpetrators to justice. Addressing Migration has acquired a new dimension with the emergence of mixed migration flows. Today, refugees, migrants, and other groups of people on the move, are traveling on the same routes using the same transit points towards the same destination points, using the same means of transportation and traveling via the same routes challenging us to develop a better tailored response to the needs of each and to ensure their protection. Sadly, we continue to receive daily news on migrants
being exploited by cold-blooded human traffickers or dying on a life-threatening journey arranged for by ruthless smugglers for mere profit exploiting the vulnerability and misery of human beings. We also have observed important and worrying changes in drug production, trafficking and consequently consumption. New substances which are unregulated have rapidly emerged as substitutes for the internationally controlled precursors which are used to produce amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS). Captagon and Tramadol have become a serious concern as seizures increase year by year. The region has also seen an increase in cocaine seizures in the past years. The substances of Tramadol and Captagon generate a value of US$ 1 billion per year in the region, leading us to caution about a looming crisis if no steps are taken to prevent and control these substances. We also need to be concerned about the possible links between drug traffickers and terrorist groups or non-state armed militia. To combat organized crime, corruption and terrorism, we need strong criminal justice institutions in the region. As UNODC, we have worked with you on strengthening the criminal justice response focusing on investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cases including the application of special investigation techniques and case management systems. Prisons are part of the criminal justice response and we can work together to strengthen prison systems. Many prison administration struggle with overcrowding and challenging detention conditions. Management of prisons has become more complex with prisoners charged with serious organized crime or terrorism. There is a widespread concern regarding the possible radicalization in prisons, including the potential of recruitment of future offenders through the prisons. We can and need to work more together to strengthen custodial settings to be conducive to disengagement from violence and prevention of recidivism and towards education, rehabilitation and reintegration, paying special attention to the response we give to juvenile offenders. Let me also focus briefly on one of our foundational mandates that is very dear to my heart. Globally and during the last decade we have learnt together a lot on drug use and HIV, its prevention, treatment and care. We know both drug use and drug use dependence can be prevented and it can be treated. Drug use dependence is recognized as a medical, relapsing disorder for which medical and psychosocial protocols have been developed. Today, we have few data on the scope and nature of drug use in the region. But we know that it is of concern too many, especially considering the constantly evolving drug markets and the impact on the youth. The impact of drugs on the individual, his/her family, community and the general population must not be underestimated, not to mention the impact
on the public health system. It is of particular concern as prevalence of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C is high in the injecting drug user population. We need to strengthen health systems and provide services to those who use drugs, men and women, and live with HIV, in our joint commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals Leaving no one behind. Let me now briefly turn to some of the highlights of our joint achievements: In the second year of the implementation of the Regional Programme, we are proud to report that UNODC has significantly expanded its expertise both in number and kind of expertise as well as the number of interventions it delivered. UNODC was able to increase its assistance through 36 ongoing projects and delivered US$ 15.4 million worth in technical assistance in 2017, the highest figure since the creation of the Regional Office in 1997. In 2017, close to 9,500 people received direct assistance/services, more than 6,600 officials received training, and 1,600 officials were supported in sharing international best practices and in participating in international forums. Furthermore, US$ 4.2 million worth in equipment was procured under our various projects. Interventions that were initiated in 2016, such as in forensics, cybercrime, border control, criminal information analysis, and healthcare in prison settings, have reached their cruising speed in 2017. The thematic area that saw the highest increase in activities was migrant smuggling and human trafficking, with a continuous engagement in all North African countries and Sudan. Counter-terrorism activities also experienced an increase, and more focus too, with numerous activities with Iraq. During 2017, the Office continued the consolidation of its portfolio of projects and added more flexibility to its interventions being able to quicker start new cooperation. In this regard, a new regional project on anticorruption was activated, and two new projects on forensics and violence against women are being developed for implementation in 2018. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, With the current Regional Programme adopting a more operational and practical approach to supporting Member States, UNODC has now moved away from basic training and general awareness on certain types of crime in order to focus on specialized techniques at intermediate and advanced levels. This also translated into modern/new training methodologies being used/tested, for example mock trials on migrant smuggling and human trafficking, online legal support chats on counter-terrorism, Train the Trainers approaches, combinations of theoretical and practical training on site for border control by land, sea and air. In few minutes you will be able to listen to a full-fledged presentation on all the
achievements during last year and you also have in your hands the Annual Report of the Regional Programme. Looking back, I think the year 2017 was a good one in terms of results. I do trust that we will continue this trend in 2018 working towards increasing numbers of tangible results despite challenges and a complex environment. We also trust that we will be able to resume our work in some of the countries where we were not able to work so far or for some time. Let me assure you that UNODC is deeply committed to continue to support all Arab League member states in the region in the evolving needs and challenges you are facing within our mandates given by the UN and enshrined in the Regional Programme. Let me here also recognize the critical role of the League of Arab States in this partnership. All our achievements would not have been possible without the excellent partnership we have with the League, its specialized councils and departments. We appreciate the engagement and dedication of the officials involved as well as the strong political commitment we have witnessed from Member States of the League of Arab States. Before closing my remarks, let me underline again the importance of this partnership and our meeting. As in previous years, we have gathered here to interact, hold productive consultations and agree on priorities for the next year, reach consensus on the way forward and articulate actionable recommendations in line with our mandate and international standards and norms. These recommendations will be key for our common understanding for our actions through the year 2018. As in the past, after two presentations, we will split into three thematic groups for focused discussions. Several experts and moderators both from the League of Arab States and UNODC will accompany you in these discussions and we will introduce them to you. All experts are available to elaborate, clarify and provide substantive advice so as to inform and enrich our discussions. They currently implement projects across the region and are fully knowledgeable and familiar with our work in the region. You all will have the opportunity to participate actively. Let me conclude by thanking each of you present here today for your engagement in this partnership, your dedication, commitment and support. Let us all concentrate and strive towards concrete results and changes for the wellbeing and safety of all the people in the region. Shukran Djazilan.