Arab News Japan 

KYOTO: The 14th session of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Conference” started at the International Conference Center in Kyoto city on March 7, in a large-scale international conference held in Japan for the first time after the spread of the coronavirus.

A total of 5,600 people from 152 countries are participating, with some 4,200 registered to attend virtually, according to the United Nations.

Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide also attended the opening session that unanimously adopted the “Kyoto Declaration” which detailed measures that each country should take in the field of criminal justice.

Prime minister Suga said that “A safe and secure society is a major premise for achieving social and economic recovery. The international community is united to strengthen crime prevention in the corona disaster and to make the criminal justice system fully function. It is necessary to deal with it, noting that cyber-attacks and online fraud are occurring one after another. “　

The Declaration emphasizes that it will “contribute through crime prevention efforts” to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Promotion of the rule of law” and “promotion of international cooperation in the criminal field” were advocated. It also included a call for collaboration with local volunteers to help criminals reintegrate into society.

The Kyoto Congress was scheduled to be held in April last year, but it was postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus. The conference was attended online by UN Secretary-General António Guterres who thanked Japan for holding the conference.