Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday inaugurated the 19th World Congress of Criminology being held for the first time in the Middle East.
A total of 50 papers were presented on the first day of the Congress on 13 subjects related to crime, crime prevention and criminal justice. As many as 40 countries are participating in three-day conference where more than 125 papers will be presented.
The Congress is organised by the Ministry of Interior represented by the Police College, in cooperation with the College of Law of Qatar University and the International Society of criminology at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The opening ceremony was attended by a number of Ministers, senior officials of the Ministry of the Interior and many other personalities from various security and legal sectors, experts and researchers in these fields and guests of the country.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda; President of the International Society of Criminology, Professor Dr. Emilio Viano; and representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Bianca Kopp attended the congress.
The Congress comes within the framework of the implementation of the Doha Declaration issued at the end of the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
A number of important themes based on Science, Technology and Teaching in Criminology: Researching, Investigating and Preventing Crime are discussed in a number of sessions held under the Congress.
Major General Engineer Abdulaziz Al Ansari, Chairman of the NCTC and Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Interior, said that the State of Qatar has confirmed through its diplomatic speeches, international efforts and national strategic options that the elimination of terrorism requires the adoption of a holistic approach that includes addressing its political, economic and social roots along with that of security action.
Major Gen. Al Ansari stressed that the official position of Qatar condemns all forms of terrorism and stands against it unabatedly and without hesitation. He said that Qatar will continue its participation in international efforts to combat violent extremism, referring to the five-year partnership agreement between the State of Qatar and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, and the provision of $75m to strengthen the Office’s capacity to protect communities and address the consequences of this phenomenon.
He also pointed to the State of Qatar’s support for the establishment of an international centre to apply behavioural visions to violent extremism in the context of scientific treatment of these serious scourges, in addition to its efforts in tackling the roots of the phenomenon by focusing on consolidating the pillars of education and good governance and providing decent livelihoods in the affected communities.
The Chairman of the NCTC stressed that the international community’s consensus was important to find a clear definition of terrorism that prevents the dangerous use of this serious political charge, adding all the relevant international resolutions devoid of a comprehensive definition that prevents terror crime as all efforts have been stalled because of the fear of political use of the definition and international cooperation lacks definition to resolve that issue.
In a statement to reporters on the sidelines of the Congress, he said that the Global Program of the Doha Declaration has come a long way in its four pillars of education for justice, the integrity of the judiciary, prevention of crime among youth through sport and rehabilitation of prisoners, adding that Qatar pledged financial support to these four pillars to help the least developed countries in the world in the prevention of crime. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr. Hassan Rashed Al Derham, President of Qatar University, said: “Qatar University as the National University of Qatar is keen on excellence in everything it does and is implementing its strategic plan 2018-2022, which includes excellence in education and learning.”
He also stressed that the University was keen to host international scientific forums that would achieve the desired objectives of that goal, which would have the effect of achieving many academic and research achievements.
Brigadier Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al Mohanna, Director General of Police College, stressed the importance of holding the Congress as it was being held for the first time in the Middle East. He pointed out that the Congress was a great opportunity to exchange views and experiences on the challenges facing the international community and find appropriate solutions to address them. Prof. Dr. Emilio C. Viano, President of the International Society of Criminology and President of the Congress stressed the importance of the congress, which is being organized by the State of Qatar for the first time in the Middle East. He added: “The International Society of Criminology (ISC) wants to go anywhere in the world to learn about the experiences of others and to send a positive message expressing the sincere desire to achieve its superior goals.”
For her part, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda praised the efforts exerted by the State of Qatar and its valuable contributions to the development of areas related to the implementation of law at the global level and the fulfillment of its obligations in this regard.
In her speech, she stressed on the importance of the congress in the field of law enforcement and crime prevention, adding, “Today we are witnessing another initiative by Qatar in developing areas related to law enforcement and a new chapter of its obligations.”
The representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Bianca Kopp said that UNODC was working to support countries and parties to make the world safer from drugs and crime, as well as promoting the rule of law, a task that required cooperation between all and a comprehensive approach to tackling challenges.
