INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO FOLLOW-UP ON THE DOHADECLARATION OF THE THIRTEENTH UNITED NATIONSCONGRESS ON CRIME PREVENTION AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Dimosthenis Chrysikos*

I. INTRODUCTIONThe United Nations crime congresses are the oldest periodic United Nations conferences devoted to a
specific subject area. Since 1955, they have been held every 5 years. They have been convened six times inWestern Europe (Geneva, 1955 and 1975; London, 1960; Stockholm, 1965; Milan, 1985; and Vienna, 2000), threetimes in Asia (Kyoto, 1970; Bangkok, 2005; and Doha, 2015); three times in Latin America (Caracas, 1980;
Havana, 1990; and Salvador, Brazil, 2010); and once in Africa (Cairo, 1995).
As the only major United Nations conferences in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, thecrime congresses constitute the largest and most diverse gatherings of policymakers and practitioners inthis area. Over half a century, the congresses have shaped international and domestic policies and havecontributed to novel thinking and approaches in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.
The first Congresses, from 1955 to 1990, had adopted a large amount of soft law in the form of non-binding
resolutions, guidelines, action plans and a heterogeneous set of standards and norms. These latter soft law
instruments, collectively referred to as “United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention andcriminal justice”, cover a broad range of crime prevention and criminal justice issues, from the prevention ofjuvenile delinquency, the position of victims in the criminal justice process and the use of force and firearms
by the law enforcement officials, to the independence of the judiciary and capital punishment; and from thestandard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners to model treaties on extradition, mutual assistanceand transfer of proceedings in criminal matters and the model agreement on the transfer of foreign prisoners.
The introduction of congress declarations as the main output of the crime congresses was first introduced
in practice as an innovative element at the Tenth Congress in Vienna (2000). This practice was officiallyendorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 56/119 on the “Role, function, periodicity and duration of
the United Nations congresses on the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders”. In that resolution,
the General Assembly decided, among others, that each United Nations congress on crime prevention andcriminal justice shall adopt a single declaration.

II. PAVING THE GROUND FOR THE DOHA DECLARATION
The process that leads to the adoption of a congress declaration goes through the preparatory arrangements
for each of the congresses. In those preparatory arrangements, the Commission on Crime Prevention andCriminal Justice has a leading role and it is on the recommendation of this Commission that pertinent
resolutions paving the ground for the congress ahead are adopted—through the ECOSOC—by the General
Assembly.1
In discharging its mandated function as the preparatory body for the congresses, the Commission on
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice gives consideration to the need for advance planning and close
coordination with all parties involved, including the relevant counterparts of the host country, and the* Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Division for Treaty
Affairs, Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do
not reflect the views of the United Nations.
1
Recommendations for streamlining the preparatory phase of the congresses, as well as their conduct and follow-up, have been
made by the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Lessons Learned from United Nations Congresses on Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice at its meeting held in Bangkok from 15 to 18 August 2006. These recommendations were subsequently
endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/173 of 18 December 2007.

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institutes of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme network (PNI network). A
sine qua non condition for the effectiveness of such preparatory arrangements is the timely preparation of,and agreement on, a focused and streamlined agenda for each congress, under which there is a sequential
relationship between the main theme and the agenda items and workshop topics. The earlier a decision ismade by the Commission on agenda items and workshops topics,2 the easier it is to undertake preparatory
activities, in particular the development of the discussion guide and the arrangement of regional preparatory
meetings, including consultations on the workshops programmes with the institutes of the United Nations
crime prevention and criminal justice programme network and with relevant non-governmental organizations,for the organization of ancillary meetings.
The preparatory phase for each crime congress extends within a five-year cycle, with relatively distinct
stages, as follows:a) The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice invites governments to make suggestions
on the theme, substantive agenda items and workshops topics of the congress (usually at the first yearof the cycle);b) The Commission decides on the theme, substantive agenda items and workshops topics of the congress(usually at the second year of the cycle);c) The Commission accepts the invitation of the future host country to organize the congress (usually at
the second or third year of the cycle);d) The Secretariat drafts the discussion guide that sets out the main issues and possible questions fordiscussion in respect of each substantive agenda item and workshop topic of the congress; input on
the discussion guide is also received from the Programme Network Institute(s) with responsibility fororganizing the respective workshop (usually at the third year of the cycle);e) The discussion guide of the congress is approved by the Commission (usually at the third year of thecycle);
f) Regional preparatory meetings are organized (during the first four months of the fourth year of thecycle);32

The Intergovernmental Group of Experts that met in Bangkok in 2006 proposed that attention needed to be paid to thenature and significance of potential topics for the congresses (and potentially for the content of a future Declaration as an
outcome of a congress), as follows: Issues that may require policy-making at the international level, including, if necessary,international standard-setting; issues with predominantly transnational aspects or dimensions that may require transnational
approaches and solutions; issues of substantial concern and importance to as many States as possible from all regions; issues
that strike a balance between crime prevention and control, on the one hand, and criminal justice, on the other; issues ofpolitical significance on which consensus has already been reached, but for which a reiteration of political commitment might
be warranted or desirable, or on which progress in action by the international community would be registered; issues likely tocommand consensus for the first time; and emerging issues that do not enjoy consensus and are not likely to do so in the near
future, but that warrant more discussion and accumulation of knowledge.
3
The regional preparatory meetings are consistently organized for the following regions: Asia and the Pacific, Western Asia,
Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. In the cycles up to and including the one for the preparation of the NinthUN Crime Congress (Cairo, 1995), also European regional preparatory meetings for Europe were also held. These were thendiscontinued, only to be revived in preparation for the Fourteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal
Justice (Kyoto, 2020). The Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Lessons Learned from United Nations Congresses on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice, at its meeting held in Bangkok from 15 to 18 August 2006, stressed the importance of regional
preparatory meetings as a key preparatory tool for the congresses and noted that, despite globalization and the increasingly
transboundary nature of criminality, different regions of the world continued to have different concerns, which they wanted tosee properly reflected in the consideration of various topics by the congresses (see the report of that meeting, E/CN.15/2007/6,
para. 23).
During the cycles for the preparation of the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth UN Crime Congresses (1980-1990), interregional expert
meetings were organized on each of the agenda items. This practice was discontinued after the 1990 Congress, following the
restructuring of the United Nations Crime Programme.

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VISITING EXPERTSʼ PAPERSg) The Secretariat and the host country negotiate the “host country agreement”, which is necessary forthe organization of the congress (finalization of this agreement may continue to up to near the time of
the congress); andh) Informal negotiations begin on the text of the congress declaration (following the holding of theregional preparatory meetings). The declaration is formulated on the basis of the recommendations of
the regional preparatory meetings and the recommendations that are brought forward in the congress
documentation, including the discussion guide.

III. THE DOHA DECLARATION AS THE OUTCOME OF THE THIRTEENTH
UNITED NATIONS CONGRESS ON CRIME PREVENTION AND CRIMINALJUSTICE
Consistent with the general practice followed in preparation of crime congresses, as described above, theGeneral Assembly adopted in December 2012, upon the recommendation of the Commission on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice, resolution 67/184. In that resolution, the General Assembly decided that themain theme of the Thirteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice would be“Integrating crime prevention and criminal justice into the wider United Nations agenda to address socialand economic challenges and to promote the rule of law at the national and international levels, and public
participation”.
Pursuant to the offer of the Government of Qatar to act as host to the Thirteenth United Nations
Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the General Assembly decided, in its resolution 68/185,
to hold the Thirteenth Congress in Doha from 12 to 19 April 2015, with pre-Congress consultations to be heldon 11 April 2015.
The Assembly also decided that the high-level segment of the Thirteenth Congress would be held during
the first two days of the Congress in order to allow Heads of State or Government and Government ministers
to focus on the main theme of the Congress and to enhance the possibility of generating useful feedback.
In its resolution 67/184, the General Assembly approved the provisional agenda for the Thirteenth
Congress, finalized by the Commission at its twenty-first session, and the issues under consideration by
workshops to be held within the framework of the Thirteenth Congress.
In its resolution 68/185, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to proceed with theorganization of the four regional preparatory meetings for the Thirteenth Congress and to make available
the necessary resources for the participation of the least developed countries in those meetings, in accordancewith past practice.
All four regional preparatory meetings have been held successfully: the Asian and Pacific Regional
Preparatory Meeting, from 22 to 24 January 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand; the Western Asian Regional
Preparatory Meeting, from 3 to 5 February 2014 in Doha, Qatar; the Latin American and Caribbean Regional
Preparatory Meeting, from 19 to 21 February 2014 in San José, Costa Rica; and the African Regional
Preparatory Meeting, from 9 to 11 April 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In its resolution 68/185, the General Assembly further decided that, in accordance with its resolution
56/119, the Thirteenth Congress would adopt a single declaration that would contain the major
recommendations reflecting and emerging from the deliberations of the high-level segment, as well as thediscussion of the agenda items and the workshops.
Informal consultations for the formulation of the draft text of a declaration of the Thirteenth Congress
took place between October 2014 and early 2015 in Vienna. Consultations involved Member States as wellas other U.N. entities, intergovernmental organizations and the institutes of the United Nations crime
prevention and criminal justice programme network in order to seek their support in advancing the aims of
the Thirteenth Congress.
The Doha Declaration on “Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice into the Wider United
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Nations Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges and to Promote the Rule of Law at the Nationaland International Levels, and Public Participation” was the final outcome of the Thirteenth United Nations
Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. It was then endorsed by the General Assembly in its
resolution 70/174.
The main issue underpinning the Declaration, as its common denominator, was the interrelationship andreciprocal reinforcement between the rule of law and sustainable development. Key commitments reflectedin the Doha Declaration included, among others, the following:a) Integrity and accountability in the criminal justice systems;b) Rehabilitation and social reintegration of prisoners;c) Promotion of a culture of lawfulness among children and youth;d) Integrating crime prevention and criminal justice and rule-of-law-related aspects into educational
systems; ande) Fostering international cooperation and addressing new and emerging forms of crime.
The Doha Declaration was a ground-breaking development in different ways:a) For the first time, the negotiations towards the Doha Declaration were successfully completed before
the Congress itself;b) For the first time, the content of the Declaration reflected a downstream and upstream flow between
the substantive agenda items and the workshop topics;c) For the first time, a political declaration of a Crime Congress served as a basis for the development ofan operational programme;d) The Declaration was adopted in April 2015 at a critical juncture, while the discussions and negotiations
on the establishment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda at the United Nations had begun,
but were still ongoing; ande) (As a result of (d)), the Doha Declaration essentially provided an added impetus to include therecognition of the interrelationship between the rule of law and sustainable development in the final
text of the 2030 Agenda, which is most particularly reflected in the inclusion of Goal 16.
The Doha Declaration recognized the importance of strengthening crime prevention and criminal justicesystems and the institutions comprising them, with a view to ensuring that they are fair, just and humane,as well as accessible and responsive to the needs and rights of all individuals.
The Declaration also stressed the commitment and political will of Member States at the highest level on
the importance of implementing comprehensive crime prevention and criminal justice policies and strategies
which promote the rule of law at the national and international levels. It further highlighted that reliable, fair
and transparent justice and governance systems contributed to sustainable development by fostering aculture of trust in the authorities to lead and work with an independent, reliable and professional judiciary,and in line with well-planned and integrated crime prevention strategies.
The Declaration also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation to address persistent challenges posedby organized crime, corruption and terrorism, as well as new and emerging forms of crime and terrorism at
the national, regional and international levels. In this regard, international cooperation was recognized as acornerstone of the efforts of States to prevent, prosecute and punish all crimes, demonstrating the direct link
between development and crime, and the negative economic and social implications of organized criminal
activities.

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The Declaration further recognized the need for Member States to continue supporting the implementationof capacity-building programmes and training in preventing and combating terrorism, including by taking
into account the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, preventing the financing, mobilization andrecruitment by terrorists, as well as countering violent extremism and radicalization, which can be conducive
to terrorism.
Finally, the Declaration recognized that while the development and adoption of crime prevention policies,
the strengthening of criminal justice institutions and their monitoring and evaluation are the responsibilityof Governments, the successful implementation of such policies should be based on a participatory, collaborativeand integrated approach that includes all relevant stakeholders, among them, most importantly, are children
and youth.
The Declaration was anchored in the fundamental importance of universal education for children andyouth, for the prevention of crime, terrorism and corruption, as well as for sustainable development. It placeda premium on instilling shared values based on the importance of the rule of law and protection of humanrights to promote a culture of lawfulness.

IV. FOLLOW-UP TO THE DOHA DECLARATION
A. National Efforts to Implement the Declaration
Efficient and effective ways to ensure appropriate follow-up to outcomes of the congresses were thoroughly
discussed at the intergovernmental expert group meeting in Bangkok in 2006. Possible scenarios underconsideration for such follow-up included resolutions to be presented to the Commission on Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice, action plans, checklists, mid-term reviews by the Commission, or discussions on followup at future congresses.
In that connection it was pointed out that outcomes, including recommendations, could be deemed as
falling into two broad categories: (a) those that invited or required policy level action by appropriate bodies,such as the Commission; and (b) those that called for national level action by Governments and consequently
necessitated the availability of a channel of communication through which States would be able to provide
information either to the Commission or to subsequent congresses (or to both) on action taken and progressachieved. With respect to the latter category, it was stressed that there was “questionnaire fatigue” and,
consequently, chronic underreporting that impeded the ability of competent bodies to obtain sufficient
information and draw appropriate conclusions. Therefore, the Intergovernmental Group of Experts welcomed
exploring alternative means of information-gathering, including voluntary self-assessments followed by oral
reporting to the Commission under the appropriate agenda item. Such an approach would benefit fromStates using the template of a checklist offered by Thailand as an innovative tool that could guide them inundertaking such a detailed self-assessment and developing, as appropriate, a corresponding plan.4
The advice offered by the IEG was taken into consideration by the Commission on Crime Prevention andCriminal Justice and the Secretariat in their efforts to ensure that the crime congresses, at least the ones
held over the last 20 years, are not “one-off” events with no further follow-up. The follow-up to the congress,
together with the preparations for the next congress, are both components of a standing thematic item on
the agenda of the Commission.
Especially with regard to the follow-up to the Doha Declaration, as the outcome of the Thirteenth Crime
Congress, the Secretariat, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 70/174 by which the Doha Declaration
was endorsed, distributed the report of the Thirteenth Congress, which included the Doha Declaration, toMember States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, so as to ensure thatits recommendations are disseminated as widely as possible.
In the same resolution, the General Assembly invited Governments to take into consideration the Doha
Declaration and the recommendations adopted by the Thirteenth Congress when formulating legislation andpolicy directives and to make every effort, where appropriate, to implement the principles contained thereinin conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The same invitation was
4

See E/CN.15/2007/6, para. 32.

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reiterated in resolutions 71/206, 72/192 and 73/184 of the General Assembly.
Member States were also invited to identify areas covered in the Doha Declaration where further tools
and training manuals based on international standards and best practices were needed, and to submit that
information to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice so that it may take that information
into account when considering potential areas of future activity of the United Nations Office on Drugs andCrime (UNODC).
In addition, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to seek proposals by Member States
on ways and means of ensuring appropriate follow-up to the Doha Declaration, for consideration and action
by the Commission at its twenty-fifth session. Moreover, in the resolution, the General Assembly requested
the Commission to review the implementation of the Doha Declaration under the standing item on its agenda
entitled “Follow-up to the Thirteenth Congress and preparations for the Fourteenth United Nations Congress
on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice”.
The present report provides information on the follow-up to and implementation of the Doha Declaration
geared towards operationalizing those recommendations in the Declaration that require immediate action
Based on the mandates provided by the aforementioned General Assembly resolutions, the Secretariat
prepared and presented to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, at its 25th, 26th and27th sessions (2016, 2017 and 2018) respectively, reports containing information on action taken by Member
States to implement the principles contained in the Doha Declaration.5 These reports contained summaries
of national responses on measures taken to ensure the implementation of, and follow-up to, the Doha
Declaration; an overview of action taken by Member States to implement the Doha Declaration and proposals
made by them for ways and means of ensuring appropriate follow-up to it; and accumulated knowledge andoverview on legislative developments and policy directives/initiatives at the national level to implement the
principles contained in the Declaration.
B. Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration
Following the endorsement of the Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justiceinto the Wider United Nations Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges and to Promote the Ruleof Law at the National and International Levels, and Public Participation by the General Assembly in its
resolution 70/174, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched, with the support of theGovernment of the State of Qatar, the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration:
Towards a Culture of Lawfulness. The activities under the global programme directly support the operational,
legislative and policy-related work required by Member States to make progress towards and successfully
achieve the goals and targets contained in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The global programme comprises four specific and interrelated components: strengthening judicial
integrity and preventing corruption in justice systems; fostering prisoners’ rehabilitation and social integration;
preventing youth crime through sports; and an initiative entitled “Education for Justice”, the aim of which is
to develop age-appropriate educational materials and programmes on topics related to crime prevention andcriminal justice, with a view to assisting Member States in integrating those programmes into the curriculaof their schools and universities.
Since the inception of the global programme a total of more than 9,700 stakeholders, primarily judges,
prison practitioners, academics, teachers, sports coaches, representatives of relevant non-governmentalorganizations and an increasing number of children and youth in more than 158 countries have been reachedthrough the activities carried out under the programme. Furthermore, more than 4,000 stakeholders from
121 countries benefited from a multitude of capacity-building activities, including conferences, workshops andtraining events.
The global programme has also produced a host of innovative knowledge products and tools for a diverse
audience of practitioners, including the Line-up, Live-up: Trainer Manual on Life Skills Training ThroughSport to Prevent Crime, Violence and Drug Use, the Roadmap for the Development of Prison-based5

See documents E/CN.15/2016/11, E/CN.15/2017/11 and E/CN.15/2018/11.

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Rehabilitation Programmes, and the “Resource Guide for organizing model United Nations conferences that
address crime prevention, criminal justice and other aspects of the rule of law”.
The implementation of the global programme continues at an increased pace, and several initiatives havetaken place, in particular the launch of the Global Judicial Integrity Network in April 2018. Under the
programme, more than 13,000 stakeholders from more than 189 countries have been reached; capacitybuilding has been structured and developed for more than 5,400 stakeholders from more than 150 countries;
awareness-raising and advocacy activities are reaching more than 8,000 stakeholders from 180 countries;
more than 130 events have been held, including expert group meetings, training and awareness-raising
workshops. In terms of gender distribution, 43% of the participants are women and 57% male participants.
More than 95% of the beneficiaries rated the quality of events as high or very high; more than 85% of thebeneficiaries indicated that they would apply the knowledge and skills acquired immediately.
In terms of policy impact, the Human Rights Council, in its resolution 35/25, “noted with appreciation thecapacity-building activities and specialized curricula developed”. The Conference of States Parties to theUnited Nations Convention against Corruption, in its resolution 7/6, “welcomed the work under the Global
Programme”. The report of the Secretary-General at the 72nd session of the General Assembly (A/72/175),
welcomed the follow-up to the implementation of the Doha Declaration. The report of the Executive Directorof UNODC to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (26th session, 2017) highlighted the
Global Programme as a catalyst and a resource to help States in achieving the Sustainable Development
Goals.
1.

Strengthening Judicial Integrity and Preventing Corruption in Justice Systems
The Judicial Integrity initiative within the framework of the Global Programme for the Implementationof the Doha Declaration aims to assist judiciaries across the globe in strengthening judicial integrity andpreventing corruption in the justice sector, in line with article 11 of the United Nations Convention against
Corruption.6 For that purpose, the initiative has facilitated the creation of the Global Judicial Integrity
Network. The Network met for the first time in April 2018 in Vienna, attracting more than 350 participantsfrom 106 countries, 40 judicial associations and relevant organizations, and 35 Chief Justices.
According to its Terms of Reference, the Global Judicial Integrity Network is a platform to provide
assistance to judiciaries in strengthening judicial integrity and preventing corruption in the justice system.
The Network intends to promote peer learning and support activities among judges and other justice sector
stakeholders, including the Judicial Integrity Group; facilitate access to relevant tools and resources on
various issues relating to judicial integrity; and support the further development and effective implementationof principles of judicial conduct and the prevention of corruption within the justice system. Through the
Network, global guidance and technical materials on judicial integrity and anti-corruption will be developedand strengthened, and technical assistance will be provided to support judiciaries in the development andimplementation of strategies, measures and systems to strengthen integrity and accountability in the justicesystem.
The core objectives of the Network are the following: (i) to promote networking opportunities for judges
and other justice sector stakeholders through virtual and face-to-face opportunities for dialogue, with a viewto continuously expanding the Network and advancing the exchange of knowledge and mutual support instrengthening judicial integrity and preventing corruption in the justice system; (ii) to facilitate the access ofjudges and other justice sector stakeholders to existing guidance materials, tools and similar resources on
judicial integrity; (iii) to assist in the identification of gaps in international standards and technical resources
on judicial integrity and to support the development of new tools and technical resources to address suchgaps; and (iv) to facilitate the identification of technical assistance needs and the provision of required
technical assistance, including through facilitating peer-to-peer support and learning opportunities.

6

UNODC has been providing assistance to Member States in strengthening judicial integrity, accountability and professionalism
since 2000, by supporting the development of the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct and the related commentary (see thefollowing link:
https://www.unodc.org/res/ji/import/international_standards/commentary_on_the_bangalore_principles_of_judicial_conduct/
bangalore_principles_english.pdf) and producing various tools to help judiciaries to that effect.

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The participation in the Network is open to individuals and institutions, as follows: (i) Judges, magistrates,
other judicial office holders, members of judicial councils and court personnel regardless of the participationof their respective judiciaries; (ii) Judiciaries; (iii) Judicial associations; (iv) Other justice sector stakeholders;and (v) Relevant international organizations
In its commitment to the promotion of a culture of lawfulness, UNODC’s Global Programme for the
Implementation of the Doha Declaration has been contributing to strengthening judges’ knowledge foundations
and helping rejuvenate their instincts. One of the resource packages developed to this end is the Global
Judicial Integrity Network’s tailor-made Judicial Ethics Training Package, which includes an e-learning
course, a self-directed course, and a Judicial Conduct and Ethics Trainers’ Manual.
The training tools are aimed at providing newly appointed and serving members of the judiciary with asolid understanding of the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct and the requirements of article 11 of theUnited Nations Convention against Corruption. Strong demand for such tools was identified throughcooperation with Member States under the Global Programme.
2.

Fostering the Rehabilitation and Social Integration of Prisoners
Within the framework of the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration and its
pillar on fair, humane and effective criminal justice systems, UNODC supports Member States in establishinga more rehabilitative approach to prison management. Investments into corresponding programmes for
prisoners are one of the best and most cost-effective ways of preventing their reoffending, with significant
benefits not only for the individuals concerned, but also for public safety more broadly.
UNODC assists Member States in breaking the cycle of reoffending by providing prison administrations
with technical guidance on how to initiate and/or enhance rehabilitation programmes, in close coordination
with other (non-)governmental stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector. All guidance andadvisory services are based on the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners(the Nelson Mandela Rules) — UNODC’s ‘normative compass’ in this regard.
In support of this objective, UNODC has developed a Roadmap for the Development of Prison-based
Rehabilitation Programmes, which provides practical guidance for prison administrations in order to assist
them in developing high-quality and sustainable rehabilitation programmes that meet international standards.
Additional guiding tools published under the auspices of the Global Programme are the Handbook on AntiCorruption Measures in Prisons7 and the second edition of the Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of
Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders.8 Another tool currently under development is apractice-oriented handbook on the classification of prisoners.
These guidance materials form the basis for concrete technical assistance provided by UNODC, in asecond step, to selected Member States around the world to support the implementation of new or enhanced
prison-based effective rehabilitation and social reintegration programmes. Sound planning, including the
proposed programme’s responsiveness to local needs, human rights compliance as well as sustainability
provided key selection criteria for such support, which focuses on education, vocational training and work
programmes for prisoners.
As a third step, UNODC is supporting the creation of national brands of prison products aimed atenhancing prisoners’ work and products with a view to generate income for prisoners, increase their selfesteem, qualifications, and employability upon release, as well as, more generally, to raise awareness in thegeneral public that prisoners are a continuous part of society. A relevant website provides information on
good practices in prison-based work programmes and national brands of prison products.9
UNODC is preparing a technical guide to assist Member States in creating or strengthening their national
brand of prison products emanating from prison-based work programmes in line with international standards.
7

Available at https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/17-06140_HB_anti-corr_prisons_eBook.pdf.
Available at https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/crimeprevention/Introductory_Handbook_on_the_Prevention_of_Recidivism_and_the_Social_Reintegration_of_Offenders.pdf.
9
Available at https://www.unodc.org/dohadeclaration/news/index.html?tag=2432.
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The guide will focus on requirements in terms of safeguards to preserve prisoners’ rights, and on requirements
related to marketing and the organizational set-up of such a brand.
3.

Preventing Youth Crime through Sports
As part of its efforts to support the implementation of the Doha Declaration, UNODC has launched a
global youth crime prevention initiative that builds on the power of sports as a tool for peace. The initiative
aims to promote sports and related activities to prevent crime and to effectively build resilience of at-riskyouth. Strengthening the life skills of youth is a key objective in order to minimize risk factors and maximize
protective factors related to crime, violence and drug use. By enhancing knowledge of the consequences ofcrime and substance abuse and developing life skills, the initiative seeks to positively influence behaviour andattitudes of at-risk youth and prevent anti-social and risky behaviour.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underlines the growing contribution of sports as a tool forpeace in its promotion of tolerance and respect. It also highlights the contributions that sport can make tothe empowerment of communities as a whole, to individuals (particularly women and young people) as wellas to health, education and social inclusion.
More specifically, sports offer an important opportunity for building life skills of at-risk youth that allow
them to better cope with daily life challenges and move away from involvement in violence, crime or druguse.
Through partnerships with Governments, sports organizations and civil society, UNODC conducts nationaland regional youth-oriented awareness raising sports initiatives to further promote civic values anddisseminate the benefits of sport in keeping youth from becoming involved in crime and violence. Youth is,thus, placed at the centre of outreach activities as “agents for change”. By sharing their experiences on how
sports and life skills training helped them to stay away from crime, youth will engage and reach out to otherat-risk youth.
Line Up Live Up — UNODC’s evidence-informed and sports-based life skills training curriculum — hasbeen designed as a unique tool that transfers the accumulated expertise of the United Nations and otherpartners in implementing life skills training for crime and drug use prevention to sport settings. Through theLine Up Live Up programme, sports coaches, teachers and others working with youth in sports settings cantarget valuable life skills, such as resisting social pressures to engage in delinquency, coping with anxiety andcommunicating effectively with peers, through a set of interactive and fun exercises. The training programme
has been first tested and piloted in Brazil in 2017 and has been and continues to be implemented in a numberof countries across the world, including those in Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East and South America.
4.

The “Education for Justice Initiative” (E4J)
The Education for Justice (E4J) initiative seeks to prevent crime and promote a culture of lawfulness
through education activities designed for primary, secondary and tertiary levels. These activities will help
educators teach the next generation to better understand and address problems that can undermine the ruleof law and encourage students to actively engage in their communities and future professions in this regard.
The common objective at all levels is to improve education on crime prevention, criminal justice and the ruleof law.
In support of this aim, E4J focuses on promoting and teaching values such as acceptance, integrity,
respect and fairness at the primary level (6-12 years old). E4J’s educational materials contribute to building
resilience among children. Moreover, these tools help to equip them with skills such as conflict resolution,
critical thinking, teamwork and empathy. These values and skills are crucial in reducing the tolerance andacceptance of crime and violence as well as assisting children in solving ethical dilemmas.
E4J’s educational materials also provide support in education relating to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development Goals, in particular Goals 4, 5, 10 and 16. Some products and activities for the primary level arebeing developed in partnership with UNESCO. Other educational materials have been developed by UNODC
with the involvement and consultation of educators, international organizations, non-governmentalorganizations and, most importantly, with children.

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In the field of secondary education, E4J developed a Resource Guide to support those who organize Model
United Nations (MUN) conferences to incorporate issues from UNODC mandate areas into their conferences.
The Model UN Guide (Resource Guide for Organizing Model United Nations Conferences that Address
Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice and Other Aspects of the Rule of Law) intends to provide support toorganizers of, and students taking part in, Model United Nations conferences that address crime prevention,
criminal justice and other aspects of the rule of law. It has been prepared to further knowledge of crime
prevention, criminal justice and other aspects of the rule of law in schools and universities. The Resource
Guide comprises seven sections relating to core topics, an introduction and information on useful resources,
as follows:
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An introduction: what the Guide can help students and organizers achieve;
Crime prevention, criminal justice and other aspects of the rule of law for Model United Nations;
Crime prevention, criminal justice, the rule of law and the Sustainable Development Goals;
United Nations congresses on crime prevention and criminal justice;Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice;
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime;
Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption;
Rules for simulating the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice bodies; andResources.

In the field of tertiary education, UNODC has developed a series of university modules and other tools to
assist academics teaching on some of today’s most crucial threats. Specifically, E4J aims to support tertiarylevel educators and academics in their efforts to transmit knowledge and create a deeper understanding ofrule of law related issues, with a focus on the subject areas of crime prevention and criminal justice, anticorruption, organized crime, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, firearms, cybercrime, wildlife,
forest and fisheries crime, counter-terrorism as well as integrity and ethics. The university module series
and the related tools were developed in close coordination with more than 590 academics and national
experts from more than 400 universities and 96 countries. The university modules are designed for use as astand-alone teaching resources, or as a means of enhancing existing courses in criminology, law, politicalscience, international relations, business, sociology, and many other disciplines.

V. EPILOGUE: THE WAY FORWARD—FROM DOHA TO KYOTO AND BEYOND
Bearing in mind the need for continuity, the Fourteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice, to be held in Kyoto, Japan, in April 2020, is uniquely placed to build on the achievementsof the Thirteenth Crime Congress and the Doha Declaration, and support the implementation for the years
2020-2025 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development up until five years before its intended maturity.
Having said that, a reversed analogy should be taken into account: “From Kyoto to Doha and beyond”
referred to the multilateral negotiation and agreed course of action in the field of climate change (Kyoto
Protocol – Doha Amendment – Paris Agreement). Similarly, the analogy of the roadmap “from Doha to Kyoto
and beyond” leads to thinking of the past United Nations congresses, as well as the forthcoming one in Kyoto,as important milestones towards a much bigger outcome, namely the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, tothe extent that the rule of law contributes substantially to achieving sustainable development82