Report of the 5th United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders.

32. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE THIRD COMMITTEE
59. Report of the Fifth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders

The General Assembly, Conscious of the seriousness of crime problems, which have assumed new forms and dimensions in many countries of the world and are transcending national boundaries, Concerned about the high social and material cost which crime exacts and the impediment it presents to a more wholesome development and a better quality of life for all, Alarmed at the excesses of those crime control policies which, in certain countries, extend to torture and other abuses, negating the basic principles of human rights and of criminal justice itself, Recalling in this context the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, contained in the annex to its resolution 3452 (XXX) of 9 December 1975, Recognizing that the various forms of social control for the prevention of crime should take into account differences in traditions, economic and political structures, available resources and levels of development existing among Member States, Recalling the responsibility assumed by the United Nations in crime prevention under General Assembly resolution 415 (V) of 1 December 1950, which was affirmed in Economic and Social Council resolutions 731 F (XXVIII) of 30 July 1959 and 830 D (XXXII) of 2 August 1961, and in the promotion and strengthening of international co-operation in this field in accordance with Assembly resolution 3021 (XXVII) of 18 December 1972, Having considered the report of the Fifth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders,[1] held at Geneva from 1 to 12 September 1975, and the recommendations made by the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control at its fourth session,[2]

1. Requests the Secretary-General to implement to the fullest extent possible the conclusions of the Fifth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders by:

(a) Transmitting for appropriate action to the Economic and Social Council and its functional commissions, as well as to all other United Nations organs and organizations concerned, those conclusions of the Fifth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders that fall within their spheres of competence;

(b) Giving them the widest possible circulation and dissemination and stimulating international efforts to exchange experience and knowledge;

(c) Gathering and disseminating information concerning crime trends and criminal policies, with special emphasis on economic criminality and abuses of economic power that have a detrimental effect on national economies and international trade, and by developing strategies to deal with them;

(d) Providing to Member States, at their request, advice and assistance for the re-evaluation of their criminal justice systems and for reassessment of the purposes as well as the effectiveness of such systems in relation to national and local requirements;

(e) Elaborating guidelines for the development and implementation of policies designed to make criminal justice systems more responsive to current social needs, to ensure the strict observance of fundamental human rights and to promote a more rational, consistent and integrated approach to the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders;

(f) Fostering the exchange among countries of information relating to crime and to the functioning of the criminal justice systems;

2. Stresses the need for intensive international and regional co-operation in crime prevention and control, as well as co-ordination, among all the United Nations organs and organizations concerned, especially the United Nations Development Programme, the various regional commissions and institutes and the specialized agencies;

3. Urges that technical assistance in crime prevention and control be made available to Governments requesting it, as a matter of urgency, and that high priority be given to the provision of regional and interregional technical advisory services and co-operation, particularly in the light of recent directives of the policymaking bodies of the United Nations focusing on regional and intercountry activities and the proved success of this approach to crime prevention;

4. Invites Member States to give maximum attention and support to the relevant conclusions of the Fifth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders and to provide to the Secretary-General, in time for submission to the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, to be held at Sydney in 1980, information relating to the measures taken in this respect;

5. Draws the attention of Member States to the existence of the United Nations Trust Fund for Social Defence, established in pursuance of Economic and Social Council resolution 1086 B (XXXIX) of 30 July 1965, and urges them to contribute to it;

6. Appeals to all Member States to support international action for crime prevention, especially through the sharing of costs of international meetings, seminars, workshops and training courses and by acting as hosts to regional research centres;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the information received under paragraph 4 above for submission to the Sixth Congress and to the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth session;

8. Further requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures for the preparation of the Sixth Congress, inter alia, through the commissioning of reports by consultant experts, selected with due regard to equitable geographic representation, and the organization of regional preparatory meetings, pursuant to existing practice, for Africa, Asia and Latin America, to which all Governments of the region may send experts and to which the Secretary-General shall invite consultant experts from the region concerned.

98th plenary meeting
8 December 1977

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[1] A/CONF.56/10 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.76.IV.2 and corrigendum). [2] E/CN.5/536, chap. 1, sect. B.