Section 4 Cooperation in Training and Legal System Development Support, etc. in Criminal Justice

1 Cooperation in training, etc. at UNAFEI

UNAFEI (United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders) was established and has been operated by the U.N. and the government of Japan since 1962 with the aim of providing criminal justice personnel in various countries, including Asia and the Pacific regions, with training, and conducting research/surveys in accordance with an agreement made between the U.N. and the government of Japan.

UNAFEI has been making efforts in the development of criminal justice in developing countries and strengthening mutual cooperation, mainly in the Asia Pacific region, in accordance with the prior matters and efforts of the U.N. in criminal justice through the following activities, namely international training/seminars for senior officials on themes addressing measures against transnational organized crimes, measures against corruption, measures against overcrowding in correctional facilities, measures for crime victims, community-based treatment for offenders and prevention of recidivism, treatment of juvenile offenders, etc., and international training courses on corruption control in criminal justice. In addition, the Regional Seminar on Good Governance for Southeast Asian Countries (known as “GG Seminars”) has been held every year since 2007. Training courses for specific countries and regions have also been provided, including Seminars on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice for the People's Republic of China, Training Courses on the Juvenile Delinquent Treatment System for Kenya, Seminars on Criminal Justice for Central Asia, and Training Courses for the Revitalization of the Volunteer Probation Aide System in the Philippines. In addition to the above, UNAFEI also held a workshop entitled “Strategies and Best Practices against Overcrowding in Correctional Facilities” at the 12th U.N. Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Congress) that was held in April 2010 in Brazil.

By June 2010, 4,200 or more criminal justice personnel from 130 or more countries, including Japan, had participated in UNAFEI programs. UNAFEI has been making the effort to establish and maintain a strong human resource network by providing booklets and e-mail magazines to those participants and later on inviting them as visiting experts (lecturers) to other training courses, etc. Many of the participants have gone on to become Ministers of Justice, public prosecutor generals, Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, and other high-ranked officials in their respective countries. This has proved to be a valuable asset for Japan in promoting international cooperation in criminal justice as the globalization of crime has been progressing.

Control of crimes that seriously impact society, including transnational organized crime and bribery and appropriate/effective administration of criminal justice, have been a matter of great concern in developing countries that have weak judicial systems. At the G8 Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting, which was held in Tokyo in June 2008, in recognition of the importance of capacity building assistance to jurisdictions that require support in developing more effective legal systems and law enforcement capacity for the fight against transnational organized crime and international terrorism, the “G8 Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Declaration on Capacity Building Assistance” was adopted. The roles that UNAFEI plays through proving training, etc. have therefore also become increasingly important.