Pakistan calls on international community to extend cooperation and intensify collaboration to counter transnational organized crimes

Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokher delivered a statement at the 10^th Conference of Parties of UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crimes (UNTOC). He said that Transnational Organized Crimes (TOCs) pose serious challenges to the international community as they underminedrule of law, threatened peace and security, violate human rights and impeded sustainable development in varying degrees in different countries across the globe.

Ambassador AftabKhokher said that the increased complexity of TOCs warranted comprehensive and effective international response through finding durable solutions and promoting international co-operation and collaboration. He called for efforts at national, regional and international levels to implement the objective and purposes of the UNTOC.

Ambassador AftabKhokher highlighted Pakistan’s efforts and actions to control human trafficking and migrant smuggling as well as to address the issue of money-laundering. In this context, he informed that the Parliament of Pakistan had passed a number of legislations namely: prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018; prevention of Smuggling of Migrant act, 2018; the Anti-Money Laundering (Second amendment Act, 2020; and the Anti-Terrorism Act (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Ambassador AftabKhokher also said that corruption and money-laundering were the ills affecting the whole world, particularly the developing world. He added that the proceeds of these crimes were used by organized criminal groups in enhancing their scope of activities including inhumane acts of terrorism.

Recalling Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address at the High-Level Panel FACTI on the sidelines of the 75^th UNGA, Ambassador Khokher reiterated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call on the UN to set up a mechanism to coordinate and supervise the work of various official and non-official bodies dealing with illicit financial flows to ensure coherence, consistency and equity in their work.

Vienna,

14 October 2020