NEW YORK, DECEMBER 7 – At a Security Council open debate, the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN, Maurizio Massari, stressed the key role of legal tools streamlining cooperation to effectively fight transnational organized crime: “The Palermo Convention, entered into force 20 years ago, is still the most effective international legal tool, especially to counter human trafficking and smuggling of migrants”, said the Ambassador.
“Italy has always attached the greatest importance to international cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime, and this year is no different”, argued Massari recalling the adoption the Third Committee of the General Assembly of an omnibus crime resolution, which reaffirms the centrality of the United Nations Programme on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, including its capacity for technical cooperation.
The Third Committee adopted the resolution by consensus, and it was co-sponsored by 85 States. Building on last year’s text, it takes stock of new developments in the field of multilateral cooperation and, in particular, the five resolutions that will be adopted by the General Assembly within a few days. It also includes new language that strengthens the role of youth crime prevention policies, the protection of the environment, and the importance of effectively combating the scourge of sexual exploitation and abuse of children. “These should be considered the new frontier in the fight against such crimes”, said Massari.
In his address Italy also stressed the importance of police and judicial cooperation. An effective fight against organized crime should hinge on legal instruments that streamline cooperation and guarantee the admissibility in national proceedings of evidence gathered abroad and on the creation of specialized units capable of using state-of-the-art instruments to detect and investigate organized criminal groups.
Massari emphasized the importance of joint investigation teams, whose support is crucial when parallel proceedings relating to the same crime are ongoing. The legal basis for this instrument is Art. 19 of the Palermo Convention. At the regional level, however, other binding agreements provide for the potential set-up of joint investigation teams as well. (@OnuItalia)
