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Statement
First of all, I would like to extend my delegation’s appreciation and thanks to the Secretary-General for his informative reports for our deliberations and to the Executive Director of UNODC, Mr Antonio Maria Costa, for his opening statement and his leadership in the global fight against crime and drugs. Mr. Chairman, Until recently, criminals involved in illegal transnational activities and corrupt greedy officials, both in the public and private sectors, were still able to do wrong and escape appropriate punishment by exploiting weaknesses in the global system that put them safely beyond the reach of the law. Today, thanks to the United Nations, and especially the Office on Drugs and Crime, international criminals will no longer be able to operate with impunity. The long arm of the law will reach them. Indonesia is therefore very pleased that the landmark United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime entered into force on 29 September and very shortly the United Nations Convention against Corruption will be open for signature by Member States in Merida, Mexico, in December this year. These are remarkable legal instruments that truly represent milestones in the war against international crime and corruption. These conventions serve as timely testimonies to the power and relevance of multilateralism in a highly interdependent world. Transnational organized crime, using global networks and modern technology, has been able to abuse multilateralism to achieve its own deadly ends: to launder money, commit large-scale fraud and coordinate trafficking in drugs and human beings. There is evidence to confirm this. Mr. Chairman, In his opening statement to this Committee, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Mr Antonio Maria Costa, drew our attention to research highlighting a clear link between the failure of some countries to achieve sustainable development and the growth of organized crime. Nations are robbed of their wealth that should be channeled productively into projects and activities for development because of the violence and suffering of organized crime as well as greed of corrupt public officials. Human resources are destroyed and the futures of individuals and nations are put at great risk. With the conventions in force the quality of life in many countries, especially in the developing world, will improve because stolen national assets will finally be returned to the countries of origin. That is why Indonesia fully supports the Secretary-General’s appeal for Member States to continue demonstrating their commitment to the battle against corruption worldwide by signing the UN Convention against Corruption. Indonesia has been active in the discussions of the draft Convention in the ad hoc Committee and will be among those States that will sign the Convention in December in Mexico. Indonesia has also signed the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and two of its Protocols, and is in the process of ratifying them. Mr. Chairman, Parallel with developments at the international level, there have been a number of significant accomplishments at the national level. Indonesia has also engaged these challenges at home by adopting anti-crime and anti-corruption measures aimed at strengthening its legal machinery and enhancing governance while safeguarding the social and economic interests of its people. To deal with corruption and prevent the transfer of funds derived from acts of corruption, the Government enacted Law No. 31/1999 which was amended by Law No 20 in 2001. It has also established an anti-corruption commission while it has enacted Law No 15/2002 to counteract money laundering and deny funds to terrorist organizations. In addition, it has set up an independent financial intelligence unit to prevent and eliminate money laundering. Mr. Chairman, With regard to the global fight against illicit drug production, trafficking and consumption, Indonesia is of the view that, since there are still many nations suffering from this scourge, the international community should optimally and continuously reinforce new and existing multilateral legal instruments and mechanisms to save future generations from drug abuse, addiction and associated crimes. Indonesia also attaches great importance to the need for international cooperation in combating illicit drug trafficking and in this regard Indonesia has been working actively with the ASEAN countries and with support from UNODC is pursuing the goal of a drug free ASEAN by the year 2015. Indonesia will continue to engage in international cooperation to fight the menaces of international crime and drug trafficking. Thank you.
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