Report of the 6th United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders.

35. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE THIRD COMMITTEE
171. Report of the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders

The General Assembly, Bearing in mind the importance to all nations of making rapid progress in the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders, in view of the significant increase in crime, including new forms of crime, in various parts of the world, Considering that the phenomenon of crime, through its impact on society, impairs the over-all development of nations, undermines people's spiritual and material well-being, compromises human dignity and creates a climate of fear and violence that endangers personal security and erodes the quality of life, Considering that the international community should make concerted, systematic efforts to co-ordinate and stimulate technical and scientific co-operation and policies directed towards crime prevention in the context of political, economic, social and cultural development, 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, Bearing in mind its resolutions 2542 (XXIV) of 11 December 1969 containing the Declaration on Social Progress and Development, 3201 (S-VI) and 3202 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974 containing the Declaration and the Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, 3281 (XXIX) of 12 December 1974 containing the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States, 3362 (S-VII) of 16 September 1975 on development and international economic co-operation and 35/56 of 5 December 1980, the annex to which contains the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade, Recalling its resolutions 32/59 and 32/60 of 8 December 1977, in which it noted the importance of the United Nations congresses on the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders, Acknowledging the role played by the United Nations through its efforts in crime prevention and the treatment of offenders and the need to strengthen this role, especially at the regional level, in order to make the application of the relevant agreements effective and to ensure that the functioning of the technical advisory and co-ordination services of the United Nations becomes more systematic and efficient, Having considered the report of the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, held at Caracas from 25 August to 5 September 1980,[1] Emphasizing the importance of the work of the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in crime prevention and the treatment of offenders and stressing the spirit of cooperation and the progress achieved,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders;

2. Endorses the Caracas Declaration contained in that report and adopted by consensus at the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, annexed to the present resolution;

3. Affirms that crime prevention and criminal justice should be considered in the context of economic development, political, social and cultural systems and social values and changes, as well as in the context of a new international economic order;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to provide sufficient resources to ensure that the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat is able to discharge its responsibilities in accordance with its mandate and the recommendations of the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders;

5. Also requests the Secretary-General to take such steps as may be appropriate for the necessary strengthening of activities, especially at the regional and sub-regional levels, taking into account the specific needs of each region, including the establishment of institutes for research, training and technical assistance in those regions that are without such institutes, as well as the strengthening of existing institutes, in order to facilitate international co-operation in the field of crime prevention;

6. Urges the Secretary-General to implement the conclusions concerning the new perspectives for international co-operation in respect of crime prevention adopted by the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders;

7. Calls upon all relevant organizations of the United Nations system to take the necessary measures to ensure a concerted and sustained effort to implement the principles contained in the Caracas Declaration;

8. Invites Governments to make continuous efforts to implement the principles contained in the Caracas Declaration and other relevant resolutions and recommendations, as adopted by the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, in accordance with the economic, social, cultural and political circumstances of each country;

9. Further requests the Secretary-General to circulate the report of the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders among Member States and intergovernmental organizations, in order to ensure that it is disseminated as widely as possible, and to strengthen information activities in this field;

10. Invites the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly, at its thirty-sixth session, a report on the measures taken to implement the present resolution;

11. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-sixth session an item entitled "Crime prevention and criminal justice and development".

96th plenary meeting
15 December 1980

ANNEX Caracas Declaration

The Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Bearing in mind the importance to all nations of making rapid progress in the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders, in view of the significant increase in crime, including new forms of crime, in various parts of the world, Considering that the phenomenon of crime, through its impact on society, impairs the over-all development of nations, undermines people's spiritual and material well-being, compromises human dignity and creates a climate of fear and violence that erodes the quality of life, Considering that the international community should make concerted, systematic efforts to co-ordinate and stimulate technical and scientific co-operation and policies directed towards crime prevention in the context of social, cultural, political and economic development, Acknowledging the role played by the United Nations through its efforts at the international level in the field of crime prevention and the treatment of offenders, Considering that this role should, by common accord, be strengthened at the international level, and especially at the regional level, in order to make the agreements concluded in this field truly effective and to ensure that the functioning of the technical advisory and co-ordination services is more systematic and efficient, Welcoming the spirit of co-operation and the progress achieved in the field of crime prevention and the treatment of offenders during the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders,

1. Declares the following:

1. The success of criminal justice systems and strategies for crime prevention, especially in the light of the growth of new and sophisticated forms of crime and the difficulties encountered in the administration of criminal justice, depends above all on the progress achieved throughout the world in improving social conditions and enhancing the quality of life; it is thus essential to review traditional crime prevention strategies based exclusively on legal criteria.

2. Crime prevention and criminal justice should be considered in the context of economic development, political systems, social and cultural values and social change, as well as in the context of the new international economic order.

3. It is a matter of great importance and priority that programmes for crime prevention and the treatment of offenders should be based on the social, cultural, political and economic circumstances of each country, in a climate of freedom and respect for human rights, that Member States should develop an effective capacity for the formulation and planning of criminal policy, and that all crime-prevention policies should be co-ordinated with strategies for social, economic, political and cultural development.

4. There is a need to promote scientific research, taking into account the particular circumstances and priorities of each country or region.

5. Member States should ensure that those responsible for the functioning of the criminal justice system at all levels should be properly qualified for their tasks and should perform them in a manner which is independent of personal or group interest.

6. Criminal policy and the administration of justice should be based on principles that will guarantee the equality of everyone before the law without any discrimination, as well as the effective right of defence and the existence of judicial organs that are equal to the task of providing speedy and fair justice and of ensuring greater security and protection of the rights and freedoms of all people.

7. Continuous efforts should be made to seek new approaches and to develop better techniques for crime prevention and the treatment of offenders, and to that end criminal law should be developed in such a way as to play an effective and important role in creating stable social conditions free from oppression and manipulation.

8. The family, school and work have a vital part to play in encouraging the development of social policy and of positive attitudes that will assist in preventing crime, and these factors should be taken into consideration in national planning and in the development of criminal policy and crime prevention programmes.

9. Having regard to the vital role played by the United Nations in encouraging international co-operation and the development of norms and guidelines in the field of criminal policy, it is important that the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council should ensure that appropriate measures are taken to strengthen, as necessary, the activities of the competent United Nations organs concerned with crime prevention and the treatment of offenders, especially activities at the regional and sub-regional levels, taking into account the specific needs of each region, including the establishment of institutes for research, training and technical assistance in those regions which lack such bodies, and the strengthening of existing institutes, and, further to give effect to the conclusions of the Sixth United Nations Congress, including those relating to new perspectives for international co-operation in crime prevention, and to ensure that all United Nations organs co-operate effectively with the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control in pursuance of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly.

2. Invites the General Assembly, in the light of the importance attached to the terms of the present Declaration by the States participating in the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders to take appropriate action at the earliest opportunity in accordance with the Declaration.

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[1] A/CONF.87/14/Rev.1,