14th UN Crime Congress in Kyoto
CRIME CONGRESS
The United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is the world's largest and most diverse gathering of policy-makers, practitioners, academia, intergovernmental organizations and civil society in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. The Congresses have been held every five years since 1955 in different parts of the world, dealing with a vast array of topics. They have made considerable impact in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice and influenced national and international policies and professional practices. The Congresses provide a forum for (a) the exchange of views between States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and individual experts representing various professions and disciplines; (b) the exchange of experiences in research, law and policy development; and (c) the identification of emerging trends and issues in crime prevention and criminal justice.
The 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, originally scheduled to take place in Kyoto, Japan, on 20-27 April 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was held from 7 to 12 March 2021 in Kyoto, Japan, in line with the UN General Assembly decision A/DEC/74/550 B.
The 14th Crime Congress, held under the overall theme “Advancing crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda”, brought together more than 5,000 participants from all over the world. A record 152 Member States were represented at the Congress along with 114 non-governmental organizations, 37 intergovernmental organizations, 600 individual experts and several UN entities and institutes. At the beginning of the high-level segment, Member States adopted the Kyoto Declaration, under which governments agreed on concrete actions to advance responses addressing crime prevention, strengthening criminal justice and promoting the rule of law and international cooperation, including against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.