Ambassador Dr Brendon Hammer
Permanent Representative of Australia
Statement of Australia
Twenty-sixth session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
22 May 2017
Mr Chairman,
Australia believes that the need to develop comprehensive and integrated crime prevention strategies cannot be overstated.
As organised crime threats evolve, so must our response.
And the effectiveness of this response will depend on the strength of our international cooperation.
This is what makes this meeting that we are currently engaged in so important.
Mr Chairman,
States committed in the 2015 Doha Declaration to develop criminal justice systems that uphold fundamental freedoms for all people.
In this connection, Australia notes that women are impacted by crime differently to men.
And that the ways women commit crime, or are affected by it, are often poorly understood.
For example, women are more vulnerable to violence, domestic servitude and trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Women can also be organisers of trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation.
Taking a gender perspective involves better understanding the demand and supply factors of this trade as a whole, and ultimately will assist in developing more effective policies.
Mr Chairman,
Gender mainstreaming is about taking the needs of both women and men into account in developing crime prevention and criminal justice strategies.
Australia welcomes the UNODC’s progress in mainstreaming a gender perspective into its programs, but we think more can be done.
Australia believes criminal justice policies, and strategies to address transnational organised crime, need to consider the needs of both women and men to be effective and comprehensive.
This is why Australia and Mexico will be introducing a resolution calling on member states to consider the specific needs of women and girls in developing and implementing criminal justice policies.
Australia is also pleased to co-sponsor a side-event with MIKTA partners from Mexico, Indonesia, Republic of Korea and Turkey on Thursday.
This event will focus on approaches to combatting violence against women from this diverse range of MIKTA countries.
Mr Chairman,
Australia is committed to being a leader in the eradication of people smuggling, human trafficking and slavery in our Indo-Pacific region.
We continue to work on regional prevention and investigation of trafficking in through our co-chairing of the Bali Process Working Group on Trafficking in Persons.
We are also organising a new Government and Business Forum – driven by the private sector to bring together prominent regional business leaders to focus on best practice in eradicating human trafficking, forced labour, and slavery-like practices in supply chains.
And we are leading a global initiative, Alliance 8.7, named after the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7, to strengthen policy coherence across all UN agencies engaged in these areas.
Mr Chairman,
Cybercrime is a constantly evolving threat which is testing the adaptive capacity of law enforcement agencies around the world.
Cybercriminals operate globally, and we must respond in kind, fostering bilateral, regional and global partnerships to combat this threat.
Australia welcomes the resolution on cybercrime proposed for this Commission – which will provide a platform for future discussion.
Mr Chairman,
Australia recognises that provision of technical assistance and capacity building is key to countering cybercrime.
As a strong supporter of the UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime, we encourage other states to provide the UNODC with the necessary mandates and financial support to deliver practical capacity building projects.
In our own region, Australia is working to build capacity that supports law enforcement, legal officials and governments on cybercrime, and strengthens international cooperation – including through greater information sharing, mutual legal assistance, and by harmonising domestic laws.
Mr Chairman,
Transnational organised crime can be a way to fund other threats, such as terrorism.
In this connection, Australia believes the transnational nature of money laundering and terrorism financing demands a coordinated global response.
We are therefore committed to working with the international community to build a global environment hostile to money laundering, financing of terrorism and associated crime.
Regionally, we have co-hosted regional Counter-Terrorist Financing Summits in both 2015 and 2016, and will do so again later this year.
Mr Chairman,
Illicit timber and wildlife trafficking is a serious and growing trade, controlled by organised criminal groups.
To address this form of transnational crime, states need to need to adopt and enforce domestic laws, and cooperate using existing instruments such as the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC).
Australia welcomes the growing international consensus that more must be done in this area.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.