Resolution on Combating Terrorism, Illicit Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime
20th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum
8-12 January 2012
Resolution on Combating Terrorism, Illicit Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime
APPF20/RES/06
(Co-Sponsored by Mexico and Russia)
THE TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASIA-PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM:
Reaffirming the previous resolutions adopted by the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) with respect to combating terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime;
Reiterating its strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism which constitutes one of the most serious threats to regional and international peace and security;
Assuming that terrorism is aggravated by other international crimes, including illicit drug and arms trafficking, corruption, money laundering, cyber crime, human trafficking, kidnapping, piracy, which can be used as direct support to this scourge, in particular as a
funding source;
Concerned about the negative impacts that the activities of transnational organized crime present for the rule of law, peace and security, and social and economic sustainable development in long term in the countries of the region;
Recognizing that transnational criminal networks seek to coordinate with different types of local authorities, national and regional levels to commit crimes such as drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering, human trafficking and kidnapping, among others;
Reaffirming the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted on September 8, 2006, and striving for its comprehensive implementation in an integrated manner, including in the Asia-Pacific region;
Welcoming the launching of Global Counter-Terrorism Forum in New York, USA, on September 22, 2011, as a new platform of international anti-terrorist co-operation;
Welcoming the outcomes of the 9-th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-Sessional Meeting on counteracting terrorism and transnational crime (Kuala-Lumpur, May 11, 2011) which displayed the eagerness of the ARF community to discuss the problems of countering
cyber-terrorism and facilitating cyber-security, attributing the leading role therein to Russia, Australia and Malaysia;
Taking into account the arrangement of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime on International Cooperation, 2010;
Noting the need to deepen the regional cooperation to prevent and eradicate the production, transport and sale of drugs in APPF member countries;
Calling for more active interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue in the context of civil society’s mobilization for fight against terrorism in all its manifestations;
Convinced of the importance of parliaments to further enhance national and international legislation aimed at combating terrorism and the growing threat of criminal organizations in a regional perspective;
Bearing in mind the necessity to strengthen regional counter-terrorist and counter-crime cooperation;
RESOLVES TO:
- Urge all APPF member countries to implement all United Nations Security Council counter-terrorism resolutions in a full and comprehensive manner and to undertake to prevent, combat and eradicate all forms of organized crime under the Charter of the United Nations, regional protocols and the provisions of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
- Recommend to all Member States that have not done so to sign and ratify all international conventions and protocols on combating terrorism and organized crime and obligations arising from these treaties.
- Collaborate with counter-terrorist structures within ASEAN, ARF, APEC, SOC (Shanghai Cooperation Organization), CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) and other organizations engaged in the fight against transnational terrorist and criminal organizations through deploying in Asia Pacific a counter-crime and counter-terrorist partnership network, including training sessions with the representatives of legislative and judicial power of each Member State.
- Encourage the exchange of information between the parliaments related to countering terrorism, to research and detection of crime, provision of modern training techniques and assistance mechanisms for enforcement.
- Work towards effective mechanisms in accordance with the legal system of each Member State, for the seizure and confiscation of the proceeds of organized crime and strengthen regional cooperation to ensure the safe recovery of such assets.
- Create Centers of Excellence to share the experience gained with the fight against drug trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region and to implement projects and programs against organized crime that have proved effective elsewhere.
- Adopt a more holistic approach to the problem to understand the link between drug trafficking, and other forms of organized crime such as terrorism and human trafficking.
- Contribute to implementing measures relating to combating corruption at national and local levels, according to regional protocols and treaties, in order to detect and mitigate the links between transnational organized crime and local authorities.
- Initiate negotiations with all APPF member countries to reach, in the coming years, a Regional Agreement on Combating Terrorism, Drug Trafficking and Transnational Crime.
