Skip to main content
Preventing Mafia Infiltrations, Asi and UNICRI Sign an Agreement

Good practices of territorial governance: Asi and UNICRI sign the agreement

 

Asi Caserta and UNICRI will collaborate to strengthen strategies for preventing and countering organized crime. The partnership was formalized with a memorandum of understanding, signed in the presence of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Edmondo Cirielli.

"It is a project that initiates a virtuous circle, it is a step forward in the path of change for our community by investing in work, the most vulnerable, and in sustainable social and industrial development," commented Raffaela Pignetti, President of the Asi Caserta Consortium. "The activities implemented by Asi on strategic development assets, environment, safety, sports, and social aspects become a model of good practices to be strengthened and disseminated. Creating conditions to improve the quality of life of a community significantly contributes to increasing the productivity of a territory and, at the same time, reducing the influence and impact of organized crime."

Leif Villadsen, Acting Director of UNICRI, emphasized the importance of the project, stating that "The project we are launching today is based on the understanding that multiple challenges posed by criminal networks require innovative solutions, which cannot be addressed single-handedly. No entity possesses the resources, expertise, and capacities required to tackle constantly evolving criminal networks, hence the importance of partnerships like this one.

Public-Private Partnerships offer unique opportunities to explore and test new ideas, while promoting a more dynamic approach in tackling complex issues. Numerous

More importantly, Public-Private Partnerships support community-based crime prevention initiatives by engaging local communities, civil society organizations, and private sector partners in collaborative efforts to address the root causes of crime and violence.

We believe that this project represents a step forward in strengthening our common commitment to advance Goal 16 of Agenda 2030, 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. UNICRI is pleased to be hosted by a Member State that holds leadership in the fight against organized crime internationally."

The cooperation project includes a wide range of strategic actions and is structured in three phases: the first involves researching good practices in combating organized crime developed at the local level, analyzing the needs, challenges, and vulnerabilities related to the context to identify prevention interventions and measures that could improve the levels of safety and livability of the territory.

The results of the analytical study will form the basis for the development of the training program and the implementation of actions in the second phase. This phase envisages the involvement of the public and private sectors in a training program with a specific focus on: combating corruption; preventing and countering counterfeiting; enhancing food safety and sustainable supply chains; supporting alternative measures to detention (involving companies operating in the territory); enhancing social inclusion and promoting sports as a tool to prevent juvenile delinquency.

The third phase involves using the research results and training program in the development of an effective public-private cooperation model that can be adapted and applied to other contexts.

The ceremony saw, among others, the participation of Giancarlo Cirielli, Director of the General Directorate for Prisoners and Treatment of the Department for Penitentiary Administration of the Ministry of Justice, Giuseppe Castaldo, Prefect of Caserta, Andrea Grassi, Chief of Police of Caserta, Armida Filippelli, Regional Councilor for Vocational Training, Valeria Ciarambino, Vice President of the Regional Council, and Federico Gianassi, member of the Justice Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.