International Cooperation in the Prevention, Combating and Elimination of Kidnapping and in Providing Assistance to Victims

A/RES/59/154View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 96 Crime prevention and criminal justice, published in 2005.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 2005–2007

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/61/179

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2007	A/RES/61/179	International cooperation in the prevention, combating and elimination of kidnapping and in providing assistance to victims	560	42%Compare
2005	A/RES/59/154	International cooperation in the prevention, combating and elimination of kidnapping and in providing assistance to victims	780	–

What’s in this document?

18 operative paragraphs

Vigorously condemns and rejects once again the practice of kidnapping, under any circumstances and for any purpose, especially when it is carried out by organized criminal groups and terrorist groups;

Reiterates that organized criminal groups and terrorist groups, as well as all perpetrators, are responsible for any harm or death that may result from a kidnapping for which they are responsible and should be punished accordingly;

Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General³ and of the recommendations presented therein, submitted pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolutions 2002/16 of 24 July 2002 and 2003/28;

³E/CN.15/2004/7 and Add.1.

Encourages Member States to continue to foster international cooperation, especially extradition, mutual legal assistance, collaboration between law enforcement authorities and exchange of information, with a view to preventing, combating and eradicating kidnapping;

Calls upon Member States that have not yet done so, in furtherance of the fight against kidnapping, to strengthen their measures against money-laundering and to engage in international cooperation and mutual assistance in, inter alia, the tracing, detection, freezing and confiscation of proceeds of kidnapping in order to combat organized criminal groups and terrorist groups;

Urges Member States that have not yet done so to pay special attention to the considerable psychological, social and economic damage associated with kidnapping by adopting legislative, administrative or any other measures to provide appropriate support and assistance to victims and their families;

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, subject to the availability of extrabudgetary resources, to prepare a handbook, for use by competent authorities, of proven and promising practices in the fight against kidnapping, including:

Measures to prevent the crime of kidnapping that are directed at potential victims;

Preventive measures aimed at disbanding organized criminal groups and terrorist groups;

Cooperation or strategic alliances with the private sector;

Response to and management of crises;

Identification of the minimum elements that would help States to make adjustments to their domestic legislation with a view to having a common understanding of the crime of kidnapping, which would also help to ascertain reliable trends from a global perspective;

Development of specialized measures for providing support and assistance to victims and their families;

Information on national authorities responsible for preventing and combating kidnapping;

Reporting procedures, rescue operations, information systems and prosecutions;

Also requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, subject to the availability of extrabudgetary resources, to provide technical assistance to States, upon request, to enable them to strengthen their capacity to combat kidnapping, including:

Training of judges, prosecutors and other law enforcement officials in mechanisms for disbanding criminal organizations and in the use of special investigative techniques for the rescue of kidnapped persons, bearing in mind the particular need to safeguard and protect the victims;

Review of trends and greater understanding of the problem in order to create a basis for developing policies and strategies against kidnapping.

International Cooperation in the Prevention, Combating and Elimination of Kidnapping and in Providing Assistance to Victims

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

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