The meeting was held by the United Nations on Drug and Crime under the topic of the UNODC Regional Conference on Cross-Border Criminal Justice Cooperation.

It followed recent commitments made by Member States in the region to address transnational issues within the framework of the ASEAN Vision 2025 and other regional mechanisms, such as the Mekong Memorandum of Understand on Drug Control.

The conference was opened by UNODC’s Goodwill Ambassador for the Rule of Law in Southeast Asia Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, whose presence demonstrated the importance this issue has for stability and sustainable development in the region.

It said law enforcement agents frequently need to request foreign government assistance to obtain evidence. For example, access to a foreign-based email account would require a relationship with and an action by a foreign government.

“The importance of international legal assistance to combat risks and threats that result from increased political and economic integration in ASEAN and the greater region cannot be understated,” said Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

The traditional form of mutual legal assistance (MLA) required for joint investigations of major transnational crime cases has been well understood by most Member States of ASEAN, as exemplified by the ASEAN Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Treaty (MLAT), which was signed in 2004 and subsequently ratified by all ASEAN Members. Despite the MLAT and other major UN conventions that require or refer to different forms of international legal assistance, such as the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), cooperation during investigations of criminal networks has largely taken place on an ad-hoc and informal basis. This is the same for cases involving extradition and asset recovery.

The ASEAN Vision 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in particular SDG 16 which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels, highlight the need to strengthen institutions and their capacity to address transnational crime and security challenges effectively. As the ASEAN region continues to integrate, the issues associated with regional criminal and terrorist networks will increase. Member States need to be prepared to combat these issues and their potential to undermine sustainable growth and stability effectively. International legal cooperation is one way to do so.

“I believe the awareness and respect for the norms such as equality, non-discrimination and the protection of fundamental human rights will be crucial in bringing us closer towards the common goals,” stated Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha.

“In this regard, our mutual effort in combatting transnational organized crimes and terrorism would therefore strengthen the foundation for the rule of law to thrive, and thus support sustainable development which is our ultimate goal. As the UNODC Goodwill Ambassador on the Rule of Law for Southeast Asia, I look forward to working with you to build a resilient community for ASEAN, as envisioned in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”