THE Ministry of Home Affairs said Cabinet has given its approval of the Action Plan prepared by member states of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) against Transnational Organised Crime.

A statement from the ministry noted that several meetings were held in the first quarter of 2013 in Peru, where representatives of Guyana and other UNASUR member states met and prepared the Action Plan for consideration by the Ministers of Public Security, Justice and Coordination of Action against transnational organised crime.
This Action Plan was approved by the highest authorities responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies in citizens’ security, justice and coordination of actions against transnational organised crime of the member states of UNASUR.
According to the ministry, in November 2012, by the Act of Lima (Decision No. 14/2012) the Councils of the Heads of State and Government of UNASUR agreed to create the South American Council on Public Security, Justice and Coordinating Actions against Transnational Organised Crime.
Based on this decision, the statute of the said Council was approved and it was agreed that this would form the basis of an Action Plan to be prepared by UNASUR member states.
The current UNASUR members are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The Action Plan is intended to address areas such as the strengthening  of institutional capacities; strategies and policies of public safety; strengthening of citizens’ participation; public safety with a Human Rights perspective; management of public safety of populations in border areas; strengthening of justice systems; strengthening of the access to justice; formulation and implementation of policies of justice with Human Rights perspective; strengthening of the prison policies of the member states; and strengthening policies of border and transnational cooperation to crackdown on transnational organised crime.