§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on proposals put forward by the United Kingdom to, and decisions taken at, the United Nations ministerial conference on organised transnational crime, held in Naples 21 to 23 November.
§ Mr. MacleanThe conference, which was attended by representatives of 138 countries, was convened by the United Nations for the purpose of examining the problems and dangers posed by organised transnational crime in all regions of the world and of identifying the most effective forms of international co-operation for its prevention and control. The conference adopted a political declaration and a global action plan. The political declaration sends a clear message about the determination of the international community to co-operate to tackle the problem of organised transnational crime and stresses the need for assistance to the developing countries and countries in transition against the threat which organised crime may pose to their social and economic development.
The global action plan emphasises the national, legislative and other measures which may be effective in 147W dealing with organised transnational crime and commends the adoption and implementation of all states of the international instruments which are already available to strengthen efforts against such crime—for example, in relation to money laundering and control of the proceeds of crime. It also recommends that the UN's commission on crime prevention and criminal justice should seek the views of states on the feasibility and value of developing an international convention or conventions against organised transnational crime.
In a separate resolution, the conference acknowledged an offer by the Italian Government to organise and host, at their own expense, an international task force, which would examine the feasibility of an Italian proposal for setting up an international training centre for law enforcement and criminal justice personnel. The results of the task force's work will be submitted to the fourth UN commission on crime prevention and criminal justice next year.
The United Kingdom delegation, which I led, played its full part in the conference, and the Government fully support the conference conclusions. Copies of the political declaration, the global action plan and the resolution will be placed in the Library.