Integrating Sport Into Youth Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Strategies

E/RES/2021/22No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the Economic and Social Council, under agenda item 19cCrime prevention and criminal justice, published in 2021.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 2019–2021

2021E/RES/2021/22Integrating sport into youth crime prevention and criminal justice strategiesLatestCompare with previous version
2019E/RES/2019/16Integrating sport into youth crime prevention and criminal justice strategies

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Crime Prevention Juvenile Offenders Sports Sustainable Development Youth

What does this mandate say?

19 operative paragraphs

Recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft resolution:

Reaffirms that sport is an important enabler of sustainable development, and recognizes the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development, justice and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities, as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives, in line with the relevant Sustainable Development Goals;

Expresses its gratitude and appreciation to the Government of Thailand for hosting the expert group meeting on integrating sport into youth crime prevention and criminal justice strategies, convened by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Bangkok from 16 to 18 December 2019;

Takes note of the report of the Secretariat on the outcome of that expert group meeting, at which good practices were identified and recommendations made on the effective use of sport to reduce youth crime and violence;

Encourages Member States to ensure that the necessary safeguards for participants are included in the design and implementation of sports-based crime prevention initiatives in order to prevent and combat sexual harassment, abuse and violence against children and youth in sport;

Calls upon Member States, as well as relevant stakeholders, to support and encourage relevant domestic authorities at all levels, including in local contexts, in the creation of safe spaces for sports and physical activities and in the provision of equal access to sports facilities for all youth;

Emphasizes the importance of mainstreaming a gender perspective into sports-based crime prevention programmes and the need to provide a wide range of safe and accessible sports programmes for women and girls that reinforce their empowerment and gender equality;

Also emphasizes the importance of respecting cultural diversity in implementing sports-based crime prevention programmes;

Welcomes the work of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, particularly its efforts to support Member States in integrating sport into crime prevention and criminal justice strategies promoting a multisectoral and holistic approach to crime prevention, including through the development of tools and the provision of technical assistance in the context of the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration: Towards the Promotion of a Culture of Lawfulness, and in disseminating information and good practices on the use of sport for youth crime and violence prevention, building on global research and on lessons learned;

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to continue promoting sports-based interventions in the context of youth-oriented, multisectoral and holistic approaches to the prevention of crime and violence, including by formulating strategies aimed at comprehensively addressing the underlying conditions conducive to the spread of all types of crime and violence and by supporting Member States’ efforts in this regard, also in partnership with other relevant United Nations entities;

Also requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to continue supporting Member States, through technical assistance and the development of tailored guidance materials, with regard to the effective use of sport in the context of the rehabilitation and social reintegration of offenders, in prison and community settings, the empowerment of girls, the prevention of gender-based violence, and the safeguarding of participants in sports and sports-based interventions, in particular individuals in vulnerable situations, including children and women, from violence and abuse;

Encourages Member States to integrate sports-based interventions into crime prevention and criminal justice strategies and programmes with a view to addressing risk factors of crime and victimization, including during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, when possible and with adaptations such as proactive programme elements providing learning and social support for youth, particularly in schools and educational institutions, investing in capacity-building of trainers and facilitators, promoting an inclusive and participatory approach, ensuring safeguards for participants in sporting activities and maintaining the sustainability of such activities by engaging partners from multiple sectors;

Calls upon Member States, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to strengthen community-based support measures for youth to address risk factors of crime and violence, and encourages Member States to provide sports and recreational facilities and programmes so as to promote the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of youth crime and the social reintegration of young offenders, also in the context of public safety strategies, enhancing the use of sport as a tool for the development of safe public spaces for young people and local communities to positively interact and develop;

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in line with its mandate, in consultation with Member States and in collaboration with other relevant organizations and agencies, including relevant civil society organizations, to develop a compilation of best practices in relation to sports-based crime prevention programmes, as well as to provide, upon request, advice and support to policymakers and practitioners, including on research, monitoring and evaluation;

Invites Member States to consider the development of clear policy frameworks within which sports-based initiatives can be integrated into crime prevention and criminal justice strategies and programmes, and to operate to effect positive change in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, to prevent recidivism through sports and, in this regard, to promote and facilitate effective research, monitoring and evaluation of their own national initiatives and relevant international initiatives, including gang-related initiatives, to assess their impact;

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, within its mandate, to strengthen its cooperation and coordination with relevant United Nations entities that have sports-based programmes and interventions, including the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and with the institutes of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme network, and, in close consultation with Member States, to strengthen its cooperation with relevant international, regional and national sports organizations such as the International Olympic Committee and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, so as to continue to support activities enhancing the contributions of sport to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on youth and community development aimed at addressing the risk factors of youth violence, crime and illicit drug-related activities and promoting a healthy lifestyle to prevent risky behaviour while facilitating access to comprehensive drug demand reduction services and related measures, as appropriate, and at fostering social inclusion, peace and just societies, also through joint programmes and awareness-raising campaigns in the context of major sporting events, and to keep the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs updated about the progress made in this regard;

Invites the institutes of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme network, within their mandates, to consider including in their work programmes the issue of integrating sport into youth crime prevention and criminal justice in order to contribute to building the knowledge base in this regard, as well as to provide, upon request, advice and support to policymakers and practitioners, including on research, monitoring and evaluation, while noting the efforts of Member States to achieve the relevant Sustainable Development Goals and targets;

Requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to provide information on the implementation of the present resolution as a contribution to the report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session on the implementation of its resolution 75/18 on sport as an enabler of sustainable development;

Invites Member States and other donors to provide extrabudgetary resources for these purposes in accordance with the rules and procedures of the United Nations.

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