Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates, Excellency Ambassador Lotfi Bouchaara, I congratulate you on your election as head of the twenty-seventh session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; congratulations that I make extensive to the other members of the Bureau.
The delegation of Cuba associates itself fully with the statements made by the distinguished representatives of Ecuador and Bolivia, on behalf of the Group of 77 plus China, and the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, respectively.
Mr. president,
At the doors of the Fourteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in 2020, the Member States urgently need to implement more quickly the commitments made after the adoption of the Doha Declaration, in 2015; aimed at promoting a culture of legality, combating crime, violence, corruption and terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations.
We welcome the holding of these Congresses, as they are frameworks that have facilitated the exchange of information and good practices between States and experts linked to this area; and for its impact on crime prevention and criminal justice at the international level.
We must also highlight the commitment of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as the center of discussions on the prevention and fight against transnational organized crime, under the mandates given by the Member States.
Mr. president,
We are convinced that international cooperation is a decisive element to face the most usual forms of Transnational Organized Crime, including its emerging forms. That is why we support the establishment of a review mechanism for the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three Protocols; which continues to be negotiated by the member states, under the principles that it must be a transparent, non-invasive, inclusive, impartial, intergovernmental mechanism and financed, mostly, from the regular budget.
Mr. president,
Crime is constantly evolving and adapting. While organized crime, illicit drug trafficking and terrorism have been the main sources of concern in recent decades, other forms of crime are now in a more prominent position.
That is why my Delegation supports placing the growing incidence of cybercrime as the central theme of the deliberations of this session. It is necessary to adopt an international legally binding instrument, within the framework of the United Nations, that allows for an effective response to the significant legal gaps that are seen today in the context of these crimes; and attend effectively and based on the cooperation, the growing challenges and threats we face.
Mr. president,
Cuba rejects all acts of terrorism and condemns the serious threat they pose to world peace. Never the Cuban territory has been used or will be used to organize, finance or execute terrorist acts against any country.
We are fully committed to preventing and combating the trafficking of migrants, and we favor legal, orderly and safe migration; with the objective that migrants receive a dignified treatment and attention with full respect for their human rights. Human trafficking, in all its forms and sexual abuse, is also a top priority issue for the Cuban Government.
Likewise, I highlight our rejection of the establishment of unilateral sanctions, or the establishment of categorizations by countries, which limit international cooperation in the fight against transnational crime, corruption and terrorism. This type of practice is contrary to International Law and the Charter of the United Nations.
Mr. president,
Given the threat of these crimes, it is imperative for the international community to take on more urgent and defining responses. The confrontation with crime does not guarantee its eradication by itself, it must be coupled with a permanent struggle for the establishment of a more just, democratic and equitable international order; and thus we will also be fulfilling the intergovernmental commitments of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in order to build and dispose of more peaceful and prosperous cities.
Thank you very much.
(Embacuba Austria)