The General Assembly,
 
      Recognizing the direct relevance of crime prevention and criminal
justice to sustained development, stability, security and improved quality of
life,
 
      Convinced of the desirability of closer coordination and cooperation
among States in combating crime, including drug-related crimes such as
terrorist crimes, illicit arms trade and money laundering, and bearing in mind
the role that could be played by both the United Nations and regional
organizations in this respect,
 
      Bearing in mind the goals of the United Nations in the field of crime
prevention and criminal justice, specifically the reduction of criminality,
more efficient and effective law enforcement and administration of justice,
respect for human rights and promotion of the highest standards of fairness,
humanity and professional conduct,
 
      Recognizing the urgent need to increase technical cooperation activities
to assist countries, particularly developing countries and countries in
transition, with their efforts in translating United Nations policy guidelines
into practice, including training and upgrading of national capacities,
 
      Noting the continued increase in the workload of the Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice Branch of the Secretariat, as well as the considerable
obstacles to the full and effective implementation of its programme
activities, resulting from the lack of appropriate institutional capacity,
 
      Convinced that the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch can be
effective only if it is provided with resources commensurate to its
requirements and adequate to allow it to implement its mandates and to respond
in a timely and efficient manner to the increasing requests of Member States
for its services,
 
      Recalling its resolution 49/158 of 23 December 1994, in which it
requested the Secretary-General, as a matter of urgency, to give effect to
General Assembly resolutions 47/91 of 16 December 1992 and 48/103 of 20
December 1993, and to Economic and Social Council resolutions 1992/22 of 30
July 1992, 1993/31 and 1993/34 of 27 July 1993 and 1994/16 of 25 July 1994 by
providing the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme
with sufficient resources for the full implementation of its mandates, in
conformity with the high priority attached to the programme,
 
      Recalling also its resolution 49/159 of 23 December 1994, in which it
resolved to take decisions at its fiftieth session on the allocation of
adequate resources to the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice
programme on the basis of proposals for the modification of the programme to
be submitted by the Secretary-General, taking into account the
responsibilities entrusted to the United Nations pursuant to the Naples
Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational
Crime,
 
      Recalling further its resolution 46/152 of 18 December 1991 on the
creation of an effective United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice
programme, in which it approved the statement of principles and programme of
action annexed to the resolution, in which it was recommended to the
Secretary- General that an upgrading of the Crime Prevention and Criminal
Justice Branch into a division should be effected as soon as possible,
 
      Concerned about the fact that despite the repeated calls by the General
Assembly and the Economic and Social Council to upgrade the Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice Branch to a division, action has not been taken to give
effect to the relevant Assembly and Council resolutions,
 
      Noting that the Secretary-General, in section 13 (Crime control) of the
proposed programme budget for the biennium 1996-1997, proposes the
strengthening of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice
programme in response to the repeated calls by the General Assembly and the
Economic and Social Council to that effect,
 
      Noting also the additional information provided in the introductory
statement by the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna on
the proposed programme budget,
 
      1.    Takes note with appreciation of the reports of the
Secretary-General on the progress made in the implementation of General
Assembly resolution 49/158 on strengthening the United Nations crime
prevention and criminal justice programme, particularly its technical
cooperation capacity, and on the implementation of General Assembly resolution
49/159 on the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against
Organized Transnational Crime;
 
      2.    Reaffirms the importance of the United Nations crime prevention
and criminal justice programme and the crucial role it has to play in
promoting international cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice,
in responding to the needs of the international community in the face of both
national and transnational criminality and in assisting Member States in
achieving the goals of preventing crime within and among States and improving
the response to crime;
 
      3.    Also reaffirms the priority of the United Nations crime prevention
and criminal justice programme, in accordance with its resolutions 46/152,
47/91, 48/103 and 49/158, and the need for an appropriate share of the
existing resources of the United Nations for the programme;
 
      4.    Welcomes the proposed strengthening of the United Nations crime
prevention and criminal justice programme, in response to the repeated calls
by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council to that effect
and, in particular, welcomes the proposal of the Secretary-General to upgrade
the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Secretariat into a
division, in accordance with Assembly resolutions 46/152, 47/91, 48/103 and
49/158;
 
      5.    Requests the Secretary-General to continue strengthening the
United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme by providing it
with the resources necessary for the full implementation of its mandates,
including follow-up action to the Naples Political Declaration and Global
Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime and to the Ninth United
Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders;
 
      6.    Reaffirms the high priority attached to technical cooperation and
advisory services as a means for the United Nations crime prevention and
criminal justice programme to respond to the needs of the international
community in the face of both national and transnational criminality and to
assist Member States in achieving the goals of preventing crime within and
among States and improving the response to crime, in accordance with General
Assembly resolution 46/152 and in line with the recommendations of the Ninth
Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders;
 
      7.    Stresses the importance of continuing to improve the operational
activities of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice
programme, particularly in developing countries and countries in transition,
in order to meet the needs of Member States, at their request, for support in
crime prevention and criminal justice;
 
      8.    Calls upon States and funding agencies to make significant
financial contributions for operational activities for crime prevention and
criminal justice, and encourages all States to make voluntary contributions
for that purpose to the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Trust Fund, also taking into account the activities required for the
implementation of the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan
against Organized Transnational Crime;
 
      9.    Requests the Secretary-General to facilitate, as appropriate, the
creation of joint initiatives, including bilateral activities, and the joint
formulation and implementation of technical assistance projects benefiting
developing countries and countries in transition, involving interested donor
countries and funding agencies, particularly the United Nations Development
Programme and the World Bank, with a view to establishing and maintaining
efficient criminal justice systems on a country-by-country basis as an
essential component of developmental efforts;
 
      10.   Also requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures
to assist the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as the
principal policy-making body in the field of crime prevention and criminal
justice, in performing its functions and to ensure the proper coordination of
all relevant activities in the field, in particular with the Commission on
Human Rights, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on
Narcotic Drugs;
 
      11.   Calls upon the United Nations Development Programme, the World
Bank and other international, regional and national funding agencies to
support technical cooperation activities devoted to crime prevention and
criminal justice at country level and, in pursuance of their mandates, to
include such activities in their programmes, emphasizing social development
aspects and utilizing the expertise of the United Nations crime prevention and
criminal justice programme in such activities and cooperating closely on
relevant technical assistance projects and advisory missions;
 
      12.   Expresses its appreciation for the provision of services of two
interregional advisers for crime prevention and criminal justice;
 
      13.   Takes note with appreciation of the contributions of the United
Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme to United Nations
peace- keeping and special missions, as well as its contributions to the
follow-up to those missions, inter alia, through advisory services, and
encourages the Secretary- General, as a way of strengthening the rule of law,
to recommend the inclusion of the re-establishment and reform of criminal
justice systems in peace-keeping operations;
 
      14.   Requests the Secretary-General to continue to strengthen
cooperation between the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch and the
United Nations International Drug Control Programme;
 
      15.   Also requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures
to provide improved services, at its future sessions, to the Commission on
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as the principal policy-making body in
the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, with a view to ensuring
full implementation of the relevant Commission resolutions on the strategic
management by the Commission of the United Nations crime prevention and
criminal justice programme in the context of United Nations rules and
regulations;
 
      16.   Reaffirms the importance of rule 28 of the rules of procedure of
the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council, and urges the
Secretary- General to provide the appropriate information to the Commission on
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice;
 
      17.   Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the
implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly at its
fifty-first session.