The Acting Justice Minister, Dolores Delgado, has defended at the United Nations headquarters in New York that justice, peace and the inclusion of citizens in the public and democratic space are the "pillars that give robustness to the rule of law "
In your participation in the seminar on 'Strengthening the Rule of Law and Human Rights to achieve a peaceful, just and inclusive society' that takes place in the UN Within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, Delgado highlighted the "inexcusable commitment" of the Government of Spain against terrorism and organized crime, "which undermine the very root of coexistence and freedom".
During her visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York, the first stop of her trip to the United States, the Minister of Justice has also held meetings with the president of the United Nations General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, and the superior adviser on Policies of the Secretary General of that international organization, Ana María Menéndez, before flying to Washington where today she meets with the United States Attorney General (charge equivalent to Minister of Justice) William Barr.
In her speech at the seminar, Minister Delgado referred to the efforts of the justice systems of the Ibero-American region to achieve the objectives of sustainable development and highlighted international legal cooperation as one of the best tools in the fight against terrorism.
The minister recalled that, in 2016, Spain led the process for the adoption of Resolution 2322 of the United Nations Security Council that called on the Member States to increase legal cooperation and make available all the means to facilitate the investigations and criminal proceedings. Delgado pointed out that from his department "are renewing efforts to enhance this cooperation" through new regulatory instruments and strengthening the climate of trust with the partners of Spain in the European Union and the Ibero-American community of nations.
In relation to the Ibero-American sphere, the minister mentioned the activity carried out by the Ibero-American Network of International Legal Cooperation (IberRed) and the Conference of Ministers of Justice of the Ibero-American Countries (COMJIB) that at the end of this month, as Delgado has announced, will approve in Medellín (Colombia) a new treaty on electronic communications between its member states of that international organization that will represent a step forward in legal cooperation against crime, terrorism and impunity.
Delgado has also referred to the National Strategy against Organized Crime and Serious Crime 2019-2023 approved by the Government of Spain which includes among its backbones the promotion of international coordination in the fight against the most serious crimes. In this line, the recent reform of the Criminal Code has aimed to transpose into European law some European directives in the criminal field and address other international issues of the same nature.
Regarding the fight against financial flows that sustain international crime, the minister highlighted the impulse given from her department to the activity of the Office of Asset Recovery and Management (ORGA) from organized crime, which has been especially reinforced by the opening of the delegation of Algeciras (Cádiz), which supports the actions of the Justice and the State Security Forces in the Campo de Gibraltar.
In relation to the fight against corruption, Delgado highlighted the effort that Spain has been making to comply with international standards. The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) of the Council of Europe, has recently recognized the work carried out by our country to ensure the independence of the judiciary and the prosecution and to strengthen the transparency of our institutions. Also, as the minister recalled, Spain has established objective criteria for the appointment of the highest positions of the judiciary and has provided transparency to the relations between the Government and the prosecution, thanks to the reform of the Organic Law of the Judiciary approved in December.
During her speech, the head of Justice has also referred to the action taken by the Government to assist the most vulnerable groups that are victims of abuse, exploitation and trafficking. On the one hand, from the firm commitment with the State Pact against Gender Violence, which incorporates almost a hundred measures that affect justice, including the inclusion of a gender approach in training programs for judges, prosecutors and other legal operators and the improvement of legal assistance to victims, policies aimed at to the elimination of barriers between institutions and women who suffer sexist violence.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Justice has also been an active part in the Government's action in the protection of minors. The Proposed Draft Organic Law for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents in the Face of Violence, which could not complete its processing due to the electoral advance, integrates an extension of the concept of violence, a new catalog of crimes against minors and adolescents through the Internet and the increase in the statute of limitations for sexual abuse of minors, among other measures of protection.
The second day of the trip of the Minister of Justice to the United States is already in Washington, where today she meets with Attorney General William Barr. In addition, he will participate in a public colloquium with the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women of the Organization of American States, Carmen Moreno, entitled "Women and leadership".