On behalf of the main sponsors, Brazil and my own country, Norway, I have the honor to introduce draft resolution A/77/L.29, entitled “International Day of Police Cooperation”.
The three pillars of the UN - peace and security; human rights; and sustainable development – all depend for their realization on effective and accountable law enforcement. As the primary point of contact between the public and state authority, police and law enforcement institutions uphold the peace, ensure rights, and (thereby) enable development.
To do so successfully in today’s increasingly globalized world, international cooperation is imperative. Many of today’s most pressing threats – organized crime, cybercrime, and terrorism, to mention just a few – are defined in part by their international nature. To counter them, our response must be equivalent.
A crucial part of these efforts is awareness-raising. Enhancing knowledge amongst practitioners, policymakers, and the public at large builds the support and solidarity required for effective international action to counter cross-border crime. This is precisely why we, together with Brazil, have introduced this draft resolution to establish an International Day of Police Cooperation.
The draft reaffirms General Assembly resolution 70/1 that adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, recognizing the contribution of law enforcement to the broader 2030 Agenda. It further recognizes that different levels of policing capabilities exist between Member States, affecting their ability to prevent and combat criminal activity, and in this regard calls for international cooperation on capacity-building and technical assistance, while also mainstreaming a gender perspective and respecting human rights. And it emphasizes the need to strengthen international cooperation at the global, regional and subregional levels in various areas related to preventing and combating transnational crime.
From the preceding, the resolution establishes 7 September as the International Day of Police Cooperation. The chosen date commemorates the founding of INTERPOL – the world’s only global organization for international police cooperation. The resolution invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, other international and regional organizations, and civil society to observe the International Day, and to continue to give consideration to enhancing international cooperation in support of national police and law enforcement agencies.
On behalf of the main sponsors Norway and Brazil, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the representatives of all the Member States who actively took part in the consultation process for their constructive inputs to the draft resolution. Our thanks also to the Office of the Special Representative of INTERPOL to the United Nations and members of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force for Policing for the excellent technical advice they provided throughout the negotiations.
These collective contributions helped forge consensus on the present resolution, ultimately strengthening international police cooperation efforts worldwide to confront today’s most pressing challenges.