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The UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice takes place in Kyoto, Japan from 7 to 12 March 2021

he United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is the world’s largest and most diverse gathering of policy-makers, practitioners, academia, intergovernmental organizations and civil society in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. The Congresses have been held every five years since 1955 in different parts of the world, dealing with a vast array of topics. They have made considerable impact in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice and influenced national and international policies and professional practices. The Congresses provide a forum for (a) the exchange of views between States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and individual experts representing various professions and disciplines; (b) the exchange of experiences in research, law and policy development; and (c) the identification of emerging trends and issues in crime prevention and criminal justice. 

The 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will be held from 7 to 12 March 2021 in Kyoto, Japan. The UN General Assembly has formally decided on these dates (A/DEC/74/550 B), which had been recommended by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as the preparatory body of the Crime Congress. There will be pre-Congress consultations on 6 March 2021. The 14th Congress was originally scheduled to take place in Kyoto, Japan, on 20-27 April 2020, and postponed, due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The overall theme, agenda items and the topics for the workshops of the Fourteenth Congress were determined by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 72/192. The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice also advanced preparations for the Fourteenth Congress through its resolutions submitted for adoption by the Assembly in 2018 and 2019.

Preparations

In its resolution 70/174, the General Assembly accepted with gratitude the offer of the Government of Japan to act as host to the Fourteenth Congress. The Kyoto International Conference Center will be the venue of the Fourteenth Congress, to be held from 7 to 12 March 2021, with pre-Congress consultations scheduled for 6 March 2021. The discussion guide for the regional preparatory meetings for the Fourteenth Congress and for the Congress itself was reviewed and finalized by the Secretariat following the 27th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, taking into account the recommendations of the Commission, as well as additional comments and feedback from Member States.

The Secretariat also prepared working papers for the substantive agenda items and background papers for workshops in January 2020. These documents can be found here. The regional preparatory meetings were held in 2019 in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Asia, Africa and Europe. Participants examined the issues to be discussed at the Fourteenth Congress and made action-oriented recommendations for consideration by the Congress. Pursuant to the General Assembly resolution 73/184, the Fourteenth Congress shall adopt a single declaration, to be submitted to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice for its consideration. Further information is contained in the most recent  Report of the Secretary General on preparations for the Fourteenth Congress.