On the Fourteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; the Kyoto Declaration

Abstract

Aim: The United Nations (UN) Fourteenth Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice – postponed from 2020 due to the COVID–19 – was held from 7 to12 March 2021 in Kyoto, Japan. The aim of the study to outline the UN’s institutions on crime problem and previous crime prevention congresses, as well provides an overview and assessment of the most important document of the UN Fourteenth Congress, the Kyoto Declaration.
Methodology: Processing of the basic international legal sources of the subject, academic literature research, document analysis.
Findings: Crime prevention congresses are significant forums for UN crime and criminal justice related institutions. The Fourteenth Congress is linked to the „Transforming our world. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” framework. It can be seen from the Kyoto Declaration that the relevant UN institutions consider crime to be a complex phenomenon and not just a threat to public security.
Value: The Kyoto Declaration emphasizes the importance of a criminal justice based on rule of law, an evidence-based crime prevention strategy tailored to local specificities, and international cooperation in the field of both criminal justice and prevention.