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In its resolution 49/159 of 23 December 1994, the General Assembly approved theNaples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crimeand urged States to implement them as a matter of urgency.At the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatmentof Offenders, held in Cairo from 29 April to 8 May 1995, under an agenda item entitled“Action against national and transnational economic and organized crime and the role ofcriminal law in the protection of the environment: national experiences and internationalcooperation”, central issues discussed were the expansion of organized crime and the dangersposed by its transnational dimensions. It was emphasized that the traditional approachof considering organized and economic crime as a law and order problem to be addressedmainly at the local or national level had yielded poor results and therefore the responseof Governments to the global operation of criminal networks had equally to be a globalone. In addition, the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan were considereda milestone [on the way] towards achieving effective international cooperation, embodyingthe political commitment and determination of States to join forces in fighting organizedcrime in all its forms. Furthermore, the international community was called upon toconcentrate on how to implement its provisions and on the steps that needed to be takento further its achievements. 16In that connection, in its resolution on international instruments, such as a conventionor conventions against organized transnational crime, the Ninth Congress invited theCommission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to give priority to initiating theprocess called for by the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan by requestingthe views of Governments on the opportunity of elaborating new international instrumentssuch as a convention or conventions and on the issues or elements that could becovered therein; requested the Commission to consider whether it would be helpful to proposeto Governments a list of issues or elements that might be dealt with in such an instrumentor instruments; and gave the following matters as examples on which views mightbe sought for consideration and possible inclusion in a new instrument or instruments:problems and dangers posed by organized crime; national legislation dealing with organizedcrime and guidelines for legislative and other measures; international cooperation atthe investigative, prosecutorial and judicial levels; modalities and guidelines for internationalcooperation at the regional and international levels; feasibility of various types ofinternational instruments, including conventions, against organized transnational crime; preventionand control of money-laundering and control of the proceeds of crime; and follow-upand implementation mechanisms. 17Following up on the implementation of the Naples Political Declaration and GlobalAction Plan and on the recommendation of the Commission on Crime Prevention andCriminal Justice at its fourth session, from 30 May to 9 June 1995, the Economic andSocial Council adopted resolution 1995/11 of 24 July 1995, in which it requested theSecretary-General to initiate the process of requesting the views of Governments on theopportunity and impact of international instruments such as a convention or conventionsagainst organized transnational crime and on the issues and elements that could be coveredtherein; collect and analyse information on the structure and dynamics of organizedtransnational crime and on the responses of States to that problem, for the purpose ofassisting the international community to increase its knowledge on the matter; submit toMember States at the fifth session of the Commission a proposal on the creation of a cen-16See Report of the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Cairo,29 April-8 May 1995 (A/CONF.169/16/Rev.1), chap. IV, sect. B, para. 80.17Ibid., chap. I, sect. 3.xvi