Africa-Press – Angola. The representative in Angola of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Antero Almeida de Pina, encouraged, this Tuesday, in Luanda, the country to continue its actions to strengthen the system to combat crime organized, through the implementation of the main international instrument to combat transnational crimes.
When speaking at the launch of Angola’s voluntary pilot initiative for the review process of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), the person responsible said that the challenges posed by these negative actions are immense and their consequences are far-reaching, as they undermine good governance, increase inequality, weaken public institutions, deteriorate social services and erode public trust and social cohesion.
In this context, he noted that UNTOC, which supports States in the fight against organized crime transnationally through its global, regional and national programs, plays a crucial role in fostering cooperation in the fight against these crimes, being the office of the Nations United Nations on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) its guardian.
Furthermore, he continued, UNODC adopts victim-centered approaches in many of its mandate areas, providing legislative, policy and institutional support and implementing programs focused on specific groups, such as children and women.
He considered it essential to recognize the role of both the private sector and civil society in supporting the authorities’ efforts to combat organized crime, as highlighted by UNTOC, which highlights the crucial importance of cooperation.
In turn, the deputy political counselor at the United States embassy in Angola, Benjamin Gullett, stated that joint actions to combat corruption impede the efforts of criminals and terrorists, create paths for fair and equitable access to resources and opportunities and guarantee stability, sovereignty and security.
In its view, the initiative helps partner governments to assess, build, reform and sustain competent and legitimate justice systems, as well as to develop and implement policies for cross-border cooperation in law enforcement and international drug control.
He also reinforced that programs like these help countries develop their own capacity to combat crime, administer justice and safeguard the rule of law, combining the contributions of civil society.
According to him, the United States government’s contribution to this initiative is part of efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and good governance, building resilient partners that are better positioned to contribute to a stable international system.
“The United States is committed to transparency, accountability and integrity because we see it encouraging countries to make progress in the fight against corruption, including implementing the existing multilateral anti-corruption architecture, such as the Voluntary Pilot Initiative, he reinforced.
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