UNITED NATIONS
AFRICAN INSTITUTE FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRIME AND THE TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS
NATIONS UNIES
INSTITUT AFRICAIN POUR LA PREVENTION DU CRIME ET LE TRAITEMENT DES DELINQUANTS
ESTABLISHED IN 1989
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THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO CREATES A NATIONAL CRIME ADVISORY ( UNAFRI EXPERTISE REQUESTED )
On Monday, September 4, 2023, Morocco's Minister of Justice, Mr Abdellatif OUAHBI, received Dr. Édouard KITIO, Director of the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, (UNAFRI) accompanied by experts from the Institute at the headquarters of the Justice Ministry in Rabat, Also participating in this meeting, respectively: the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice, Mr Abderrahim MIYAD, and the Director of Criminal Affairs, Pardons and Crime Surveillance, Mr. Hicham MELLATI.During this meeting, the Minister of Justice highlighted to the delegation of the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders the various reforms undertaken by Morocco in the field of justice in general, and in the area of ​​criminal policy in particular; As well as the various important roles that the Ministry plays in criminal matters and, of course, the issues and challenges posed to the institutionalization of the National Observatory of Crime, particularly with regard to capacity building in human resources and professional skills, by strengthening training and openness to international experience, including that of the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime. For their part, the officials of the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime expressed their intense satisfaction with the important reforms and measures taken by Morocco in the fight against crime and its prevention, as well as their constant desire to deepen the cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and the African Institute in order to serve the prevention and reduction of crime.
UNAFRI Activities – 2023
New Director Arrives
Dr Kitio Édouad, a super scale Magistrate, has assumed leadership of the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFRI). Dr Kitio who hails from the Republic of Cameroon is the fifth substantive head of the Institute since its inception in 1989. He assumed office on 1st March 2023. UNAFRI, mothered by the United Nations Organisation (UN), is an inter-governmental organisation with a main remit of promoting active cooperation of African governments, academic institutions, non-government organisations and experts in the realm of crime prevention and criminal justice. Dr Kitio has joined UNAFRI, bringing with him a vast resource of knowledge and experience in management and governance of corporate institutions. Based on credentials of a PhD in Law, LLM, Private Law and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Law, he will deliver the benefits of his professional experiences and contacts to the Institute. He has taken over the reins from John Sembuya Ssali who has been the Ag Director since 2019, following the death of the then Ag Director, John Kisembo. The latter was also the substantive Deputy Director. Mr Sembuya is now the Ag Deputy Director and also doubles as the substantive Finance and Administration Officer. Under the Statute that created UNAFRI, Uganda is barred from fielding a substantive Director, since it hosts the Institute’s Secretariat, in Naguru, Kampala. She can only field a substantive Deputy Director. As he took up the mantle, Dr Kitio acknowledged the input of his predecessors and paid special tribute to the current Acting Deputy Director, Mr John Sembuya Ssali for sustaining the Institute. He looked forward to working closely with him and all the staff to endear UNAFRI to all member States and global stakeholders. Led by Mr Ssali, all the staff members welcomed Dr Kitio and assured him of total commitment to execution of the Institute’s programmes. These programmes focus on the needs of member States in crime prevention and criminal justice and are met, through tailored interventions developed by UNAFRI in conjunction with relevant authorities in the justice sector in recipient countries. The Institute also provides a variety of services through available opportunities for collaboration with relevant institutions. New partnerships are also being explored on account of suitability of their mandate in addressing expressed needs. Dr Kitio is scheduled to meet Government of Uganda officials and heads of Diplomatic Missions resident in Kampala in a bid to consolidate existing cordial relations and building networks.
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