UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) is one of the functional commissions of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Its main role is to act as the principal policymaking body of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. The Commission’s work is dedicated to supporting international efforts against national and transnational crime, and to improve the efficiency of criminal justice administration systems. It also provides a venue for member states to exchange expertise, experience, and information in order to develop national and international strategies, and to identify priorities for combating crime.

The CCPCJ coordinates with other United Nations bodies that have specific mandates in the areas of crime prevention and criminal justice, and is the preparatory body to the United Nations Crime Congresses. Declarations adopted by the congresses are transmitted through the CCPCJ and the ECOSOC to the United Nations General Assembly for endorsement. The CCPCJ implements the outcome of the congresses into concrete action through decisions and resolutions, many of which are recommended for adoption by the ECOSOC or, through the ECOSOC, by the GA.

In recent years, cybercrime has become more and more into focus at its annual sessions. The outcome of the deliberations on the issue of cybercrime held during the 12th CCPCJ in 2010 was included in the Salvador Declaration on Comprehensive Strategies for Global Challenges: Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Systems and Their Development in a Changing World. In line with paragraph 42 of this declaration, and as mandated by ECOSOC and the UN GA, the CCPCJ established an open-ended intergovernmental expert group to conduct a comprehensive study of the problem of cybercrime. The results of this study were published in 2013. The Commission also adopted three resolutions on issues related to cybercrime (20//7, 22/7, 22/8).