Interpol - General Assembly 74th Session - Berlin, 19 - 22 September 2005

The ICPO-Interpol General Assembly, meeting in Berlin, Germany, from 19 to 22 September 2005 at its 74th session:

BEARING IN MIND Article 41 of the Organization's Constitution,

RECALLING THAT the aims of the International Criminal Police Organization-Interpol ('Interpol') are to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities within the limits of the laws existing in the different countries and in the spirit of the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights', as well as to establish and develop all institutions likely to contribute effectively to prevention and criminal justice,

RECALLING THAT intergovernmental organizations are increasingly engaged in operational activities the field of crime prevention and criminal justice which require the widest possible mutual co-operation with police authorities,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that therefore the General Assembly has developed the various forms of co-operation with intergovernmental organizations provided in the rules and has, as well, established the Rules Governing Access by an Intergovernmental Organization to the Interpol Telecommunications Network and Databases as this possibility of co-operation appeared to be of high interest,

CONSIDERING the Co-operation Agreement between the United Nations and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) of 1997 which provides for co-operation between the United Nations and Interpol in respect of carrying out investigations and any other police-related matters in the context of peace-keeping and similar operations,

RECALLING Resolution AGN/66/RES/5 on the Co-operation Agreement with the United Nations, which calls for Interpol to conclude specific agreements with the United Nations specialized agencies in pursuit of Interpol's objectives,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT Resolution AG-2001-RES-08 on Co-operation with UNCIVPOL and rules governing access by an intergovernmental organization to the Interpol telecommunications network and databases,

RECALLING that according to those Rules an intergovernmental organization must obtain prior authorization from the General Assembly in order to access to Interpol's telecommunications network and to use it for the purposes of exchanging electronic messages with Interpol or any other agency responsible for combating international ordinary law crime, or, consulting one or more of Interpol's databases specifically designated by the General Assembly, and

and THAT according to those Rules an intergovernmental organization and Interpol must also have concluded an agreement or a special arrangement to that effect, specifying the conditions for accessing and using the telecommunications network and the information exchanged or obtained through that network,

HAVING EXAMINED Report AG-2005-RAP-24, which proposes to enable the Executive Committee to grant temporary access to the Interpol telecommunications network and databases to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) within the limits of its mandate,

BELIEVING that the United Nations Mission in Liberia is an intergovernmental organization the objectives of which are compatible with the ICPO-Interpol's aims to prevent and punish ordinary law crimes,

Considering the need to respond effectively to the request of UNMIL, it seems appropriate that the Executive Committee be authorized by the General Assembly to grant temporary access to the Interpol Telecommunications Network and Databases pursuant to Article 2 of the Rules Governing Access by an Intergovernmental Organization,

Considering that the General Assembly is authorized to delegate such a power to the Executive Committee, as provided for in Article 22(e) of the Constitution,

CONSIDERING it appropriate to delegate the General Assembly’s powers under the terms of Article 2 of the Rules Governing Access by an Intergovernmental Organization to the Interpol Telecommunications Network and Databases to the Executive Committee in order to enable UNMIL to perform its activities effectively,

Whereas , in order to preserve the institutional balance within the Organization, it is deemed necessary to ensure that final authorization be granted by the General Assembly

RESOLVES TO

DELEGATE to the Executive Committee the power to grant temporary access to the Interpol telecommunications network and databases to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) within the limits of the mandate of UNMIL and subject to the latter’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of a Special Arrangement as set forth in Article 2 of the Rules Governing Access by an Intergovernmental Organization to the Interpol Telecommunications Network and Databases;

ASKS the Executive Committee to submit a report to the next session of the General Assembly for its consideration.

Adopted.