UNIC Cairo media briefing highlights smuggling of migrants in the Mediterranean and the outcome of the 13th Crime Congress.

UNIC Cairo's bimonthly media meeting was hosted by the UNODC Regional Director to brief the media on the smuggling of refugees in the Mediterranean and the key outcomes of the Doha crime, held in Doha last month.

The Regional Director considered that the Doha Declaration was a historical one as it marked a global consensus on acknowledging crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law as key components for sustainability, and on the need to integrate these dimensions in the UN post-2015 development agenda. He said the congress also reached a consensus on the need to strengthen international cooperation to address emerging crimes such as cybercrime, human trafficking, and smuggling of migrants, wild life crimes, fighting terrorism and combating illegal financial flows that support terrorists. The Director also recalled that the congress witnessed an important presence - more than 4000 participants including 10 ministers. The congress was also marked, for the first time in its history, by the presence of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Concerning the smuggling of migrants in the Mediterranean and the ensuing terrible human tragedies, the Director said that the UN...