the extent possible, these measures shall be without prejudice to existing foreign assistance commitments or to other financial cooperation arrangements at the bilateral, regional or international level. 4. States Parties may conclude bilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements on material and logistical assistance, taking into consideration the financial arrangements necessary for the means of international cooperation provided for by this Convention to be effective and for the prevention, detection and control of transnational organised crime. Article 31 Prevention 1. States Parties shall endeavour to develop and evaluate national projects and to establish and promote best practices and policies aimed at the prevention of transnational organised crime. 2. States Parties shall endeavour, in accordance with fundamental principles of their domestic law, to reduce existing or future opportunities for organised criminal groups to participate in lawful markets with proceeds of crime, through appropriate legislative, administrative or other measures. These measures should focus on: (a) the strengthening of cooperation between law enforcement agencies or prosecutors and relevant private entities, including industry; (b) the promotion of the development of standards and procedures designed to safeguard the integrity of public and relevant private entities, as well as codes of conduct for relevant professions, in particular lawyers, notaries public, tax consultants and accountants; (c) the prevention of the misuse by organised criminal groups of tender procedures conducted by public authorities and of subsidies and licences granted by public authorities for commercial activity; (d) the prevention of the misuse of legal persons by organised criminal groups; such measures could include: (i) the establishment of public records on legal and natural persons involved in the establishment, management and funding of legal persons; (ii) the introduction of the possibility of disqualifying by court order or any appropriate means for a reasonable period of time persons convicted of offences covered by this Convention from acting as directors of legal persons incorporated within their jurisdiction; (iii) the establishment of national records of persons disqualified from acting as directors of legal persons; and (iv) the exchange of information contained in the records referred to in subparagraphs (d)(i) and (iii) of this paragraph with the competent authorities of other States Parties. 3. States Parties shall endeavour to promote the reintegration into society of persons convicted of offences covered by this Convention. 4. States Parties shall endeavour to evaluate periodically existing relevant legal instruments and administrative practices with a view to detecting their vulnerability to misuse by organised criminal groups. 5. States Parties shall endeavour to promote public awareness regarding the existence, causes and gravity of and the threat posed by transnational organised crime. Information may be disseminated where appropriate through the mass media and shall include measures to promote public participation in preventing and combating such crime. 6. Each State Party shall inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the name and address of the authority or authorities that can assist other States Parties in developing measures to prevent transnational organised crime. 7. States Parties shall, as appropriate, collaborate with each other and relevant international and regional organisations in promoting and developing the measures referred to in this Article. This includes participation in international projects aimed at the prevention of transnational organised crime, for example by alleviating the circumstances that render socially marginalised groups vulnerable to the action of transnational organised crime. Article 32 Conference of the Parties to the Convention 1. A Conference of the Parties to the Convention is hereby established to improve the capacity of States Parties to combat transnational organised crime and to promote and review the implementation of this Convention. 2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall convene the Conference of the Parties not later than one year following the entry into force of this Convention. The Conference of the Parties shall adopt rules of procedure and rules governing the activities set forth in paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article (including rules concerning payment of expenses incurred in carrying out those activities). 3. The Conference of the Parties shall agree upon mechanisms for achieving the objectives mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Article, including: (a) facilitating activities by States Parties under Articles 29, 30 and 31 of this Convention, including by encouraging the mobilisation of voluntary contributions; (b) facilitating the exchange of information among States Parties on patterns and trends in transnational organised crime and on successful practices for combating it; (c) cooperating with relevant international and regional organisations and non-governmental organisations; (d) reviewing periodically the implementation of this Convention; (e) making recommendations to improve this Convention and its implementation. 4. For the purpose of paragraphs 3 (d) and (e) of this Article, the Conference of the Parties shall acquire the necessary knowledge of the measures taken by States Parties in implementing this Convention and the difficulties encountered by them in doing so through information provided by them and through such supplemental review mechanisms as may be established by the Conference of the Parties. 5. Each State Party
competence. Article 37 Relation with protocols 1. This Convention may be supplemented by one or more protocols. 2. In order to become a Party to a protocol, a State or a regional economic integration organisation must also be a Party to this Convention. 3. A State Party to this Convention is not bound by a protocol unless it becomes a Party to the protocol in accordance with the provisions thereof. 4. Any protocol to this Convention shall be interpreted together with this Convention, taking into account the purpose of that protocol. Article 38 Entry into force 1. This Convention shall enter into force on the 19th day after the date of deposit of the 40th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. For the purpose of this paragraph, any instrument deposited by a regional economic integration organisation shall not be counted as additional to those deposited by Member States of such organisation. 2. For each State or regional economic integration organisation ratifying, accepting, approving or acceding to this Convention after the deposit of the 40th instrument of such action, this Convention shall enter into force on the 30th day after the date of deposit by such State or organisation of the relevant instrument. Article 39 Amendment 1. After the expiry of five years from the entry into force of this Convention, a State Party may propose an amendment and file it with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall thereupon communicate the proposed amendment to the States Parties and to the Conference of the Parties to the Convention for the purpose of considering and deciding on the proposal. The Conference of the Parties shall make every effort to achieve consensus on each amendment. If all efforts at consensus have been exhausted and no agreement has been reached, the amendment shall, as a last resort, require for its adoption a two-thirds majority vote of the States Parties present and voting at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties. 2. Regional economic integration organisations, in matters within their competence, shall exercise their right to vote under this Article with a number of votes equal to the number of their Member States that are Parties to this Convention. Such organisations shall not exercise their right to vote if their Member States exercise theirs and vice versa. 3. An amendment adopted in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article is subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by States Parties. 4. An amendment adopted in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article shall enter into force in respect of a State Party 90 days after the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of an instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of such amendment. 5. When an amendment enters into force, it shall be binding on those States Parties which have expressed their consent to be bound by it. Other States Parties shall still be bound by the provisions of this Convention and any earlier amendments that they have ratified, accepted or approved. Article 40 Denunciation 1. A State Party may denounce this Convention by written notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Such denunciation shall become effective one year after the date of receipt of the notification by the Secretary-General. 2. A regional economic integration organisation shall cease to be a Party to this Convention when all of its Member States have denounced it. 3. Denunciation of this Convention in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article shall entail the denunciation of any protocols thereto. Article 41 Depositary and languages 1. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is designated depositary of this Convention. 2. The original of this Convention, of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned plenipotentiaries, being duly authorised thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Convention. Convention des Nations unies contre la criminalité transnationale organisée Article premier Objet L'objet de la présente convention est de promouvoir la coopération afin de prévenir et de combattre plus efficacement la criminalité transnationale organisée. Article 2 Terminologie Aux fins de la présente convention: a) l'expression «groupe criminel organisé» désigne un groupe structuré de trois personnes ou plus existant depuis un certain temps et agissant de concert dans le but de commettre une ou plusieurs infractions graves ou infractions établies conformément à la présente convention, pour en tirer, directement ou indirectement, un avantage financier ou un autre avantage par les États membres de cette organisation. 2. Pour chaque État ou organisation régionale d'intégration économique qui ratifiera, acceptera ou approuvera la présente convention ou y adhérera après le dépôt du quarantième instrument pertinent, la présente convention entrera en vigueur le trentième jour suivant la date de dépôt de l'instrument pertinent par ledit État ou ladite organisation. Article 39 Amendement 1. À l'expiration d'un délai de cinq ans à compter de l'entrée en vigueur de la présente convention, un État partie peut proposer un amendement et en déposer le texte auprès du secrétaire général de l'Organisation des Nations unies. Ce dernier communique alors la proposition d'amendement aux États parties et à la conférence des parties à la convention en vue de l'examen de la proposition et de l'adoption d'une décision. La conférence des parties n'épargne aucun effort pour parvenir à un consensus sur tout amendement. Si tous les efforts en ce sens ont été épuisés sans qu'un accord soit intervenu, il faudra, en dernier recours, pour que l'amendement soit adopté, un vote à la majorité des deux tiers des États parties présents à la conférence des parties et exprimant leur vote. 2. Les organisations régionales d'intégration économique disposent, pour exercer, en vertu du présent article, leur droit de vote dans les domaines qui relèvent de leur compétence, d'un nombre de voix égal au nombre de leurs États membres parties à la présente convention. Elles n'exercent pas leur droit de vote si leurs États membres exercent le leur, et inversement. 3. Un amendement adopté conformément au paragraphe 1 est soumis à ratification, acceptation ou approbation des États parties. 4. Un amendement adopté conformément au paragraphe 1 entrera en vigueur pour un État partie quatre-vingt-dix jours après la date de dépôt par ledit État partie auprès du secrétaire général de l'Organisation des Nations unies d'un instrument de ratification, d'acceptation ou d'approbation dudit amendement. 5. Un amendement entré en vigueur a force obligatoire à l'égard des États parties qui ont exprimé leur consentement à être liés par lui. Les autres États parties restent liés par les dispositions de la présente convention et tous amendements antérieurs qu'ils ont ratifiés, acceptés ou approuvés. Article 40 Dénonciation 1. Un État partie peut dénoncer la présente convention par notification écrite adressée au secrétaire général de l'Organisation des Nations unies. Une telle dénonciation prend effet un an après la date de réception de la notification par le secrétaire général. 2. Une organisation régionale d'intégration économique cesse d'être partie à la présente convention lorsque tous ses États membres l'ont dénoncée. 3. La dénonciation de la présente convention conformément au paragraphe 1 entraîne la dénonciation de tout protocole y relatif. Article 41 Dépositaire et langues 1. Le secrétaire général de l'Organisation des Nations unies est le dépositaire de la présente convention. 2. L'original de la présente convention, dont les textes anglais, arabe, chinois, espagnol, français et United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime Article 1 Statement of purpose The purpose of this Convention is to promote cooperation to prevent and combat transnational organised crime more effectively. Article 2 Use of terms For the purposes of this Convention: (a) «organised criminal group» shall mean a structured group of three or more persons, existing for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences established in accordance with this Convention, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit; (b) «serious crime» shall mean conduct constituting an offence punishable by a maximum deprivation of liberty of at least four years or a more serious penalty; (c) «structured group» shall mean a group that is not randomly formed for the immediate commission of an offence and that does not need to have formally defined roles for its members, continuity of its membership or a developed structure; (d) «property» shall mean assets of every kind, whether corporeal or incorporeal, movable or immovable, tangible or intangible, and legal documents or instruments evidencing title to, or interest in, such assets; (e) «proceeds of crime» shall mean any property derived from or obtained, directly or indirectly, through the commission of an offence; (f) «freezing» or «seizure» shall mean temporarily prohibiting the transfer, conversion, disposition or movement of property or temporarily assuming custody or control of property on the basis of an order issued by a court or other competent authority; (g) «confiscation» , which includes forfeiture where applicable, shall mean the permanent deprivation of property by order of a court or other competent authority; (h) «predicate offence» shall mean any offence as a result of which proceeds have been generated that may become the subject of an offence as defined in article 6 of this Convention; (i) «controlled delivery» shall mean the technique of allowing illicit or suspect consignments to pass out of, through or into the territory of one or more States, with the knowledge and under the supervision of their competent authorities, with a view to the investigation of an offence and the identification of persons involved in the commission of the offence; (j) «regional economic integration organisation» shall mean an organisation constituted by sovereign States of a given region, to which its member States have transferred competence in respect of matters governed by this Convention and which has been duly authorised, in accordance with its internal procedures, to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to it; references to «States Parties» under this Convention shall apply to such organisations within the limits of their competence. Article 3 Scope of application 1. This Convention shall apply, except as otherwise stated herein, to the prevention, investigation and prosecution of: (a) the offences established in accordance with Articles 5, 6, 8 and 23 of this Convention; and (b) serious crime as defined in article 2 of this Convention; where the offence is transnational in nature and involves an organised criminal group. 2. For the purpose of paragraph 1 of this Article, an offence is transnational in nature if: (a) it is committed in more than one State; (b) it is committed in one State but a substantial part of its preparation, planning, direction or control takes place in another State; (c) it is committed in one State but involves an organised criminal group that engages in criminal activities in more than one State; or (d) it is committed in one State but has substantial effects in another State. Article 4 Protection of sovereignty 1. States Parties shall carry out their obligations under this Convention in a manner consistent with the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States and that of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other States. 2. Nothing in this Convention entitles a State Party to undertake in the territory of another State the exercise of jurisdiction and performance of functions that are reserved exclusively for the authorities of that other State by its domestic law. Article 5 Criminalisation of participation in an organised criminal group 1. Each State Party shall adopt such legislative and other measures as may be necessary to establish as criminal offences, when committed intentionally: (a) either or both of the following as criminal offences distinct from those involving the attempt or completion of the criminal activity: (i) agreeing with one or more other persons to commit a serious crime for a purpose relating directly or indirectly to the obtaining of a financial or other material benefit and, where required judiciaire de l'État partie requérant et qu'une autorité judiciaire de l'État partie requis y assistera. 19. L'État partie requérant ne communique ni n'utilise les informations ou les éléments de preuve fournis par l'État partie requis pour des enquêtes, poursuites ou procédures judiciaires autres que celles visées dans la demande sans le consentement préalable de l'État partie requis. Rien dans le présent paragraphe n'empêche l'État partie requérant de révéler, lors de la procédure, des informations ou des éléments de preuve à décharge. Dans ce dernier cas, l'État partie requérant avise l'État partie requis avant la révélation et, s'il lui en est fait la demande, consulte l'État partie requis. Si, dans un cas exceptionnel, une notification préalable n'est pas possible, l'État partie requérant informe sans retard l'État partie requis de la révélation. 20. L'État partie requérant peut exiger que l'État partie requis garde le secret sur la demande et sa teneur, sauf dans la mesure nécessaire pour l'exécuter. Si l'État partie requis ne peut satisfaire à cette exigence, il en informe sans délai l'État partie requérant. 21. L'entraide judiciaire peut être refusée: a) si la demande n'est pas faite conformément aux dispositions du présent article; b) si l'État partie requis estime que l'exécution de la demande est susceptible de porter atteinte à sa souveraineté, à sa sécurité, à son ordre public ou à d'autres intérêts essentiels; c) au cas où le droit interne de l'État partie requis interdirait à ses autorités de prendre les mesures demandées s'il s'agissait d'une infraction analogue ayant fait l'objet d'une enquête, de poursuites ou d'une procédure judiciaire dans le cadre de sa propre compétence; d) au cas où il serait contraire au système juridique de l'État partie requis concernant l'entraide judiciaire d'accepter la demande. 22. Les États parties ne peuvent refuser une demande d'entraide judiciaire au seul motif que l'infraction est considérée comme touchant aussi à des questions fiscales. 23. Tout refus d'entraide judiciaire doit être motivé. 24. L'État partie requis exécute la demande d'entraide judiciaire aussi promptement que possible et tient compte, dans toute la mesure possible, de tous les délais suggérés par l'État partie requérant et qui sont motivés, de préférence dans la demande. L'État partie requis répond aux demandes raisonnables de l'État partie requérant concernant les progrès faits dans l'exécution de la demande. Quand l'entraide demandée n'est plus nécessaire, l'État partie requérant en informe promptement l'État partie requis. 25. L'entraide judiciaire peut être différée par l'État partie requis au motif qu'elle entraverait une enquête, des poursuites ou une procédure judiciaire en cours. 26. Avant de refuser une demande en vertu