The National Assembly today agreed to ratify the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its subsidiary protocol. The protocol is to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. If Bhutan becomes a member of the convention, the convention will strengthen national measures and international cooperation in preventing and combating trafficking in persons and other transnational crimes.
In Bhutan, the ratification process of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime began in 2016 when the Royal Monetary Authority submitted a report to the cabinet on the need to ratify this convention. Again in 2020, the Department of Law and Order sought views of the Foreign Affairs Ministry on the need to initiate ratification of the convention.
Today, Bhutan is among the only few countries that have not ratified the convention. 190 countries have already ratified the convention. The home minister said ratification of the convention will indicate Bhutan’s commitment to international rules and regulations.
The Human Rights and Foreign Relations Committee given to review the convention also presented the advantages of ratifying the convention.
“From the committee’s side, just like the government proposed last time, there are more advantages than disadvantages. The committee also came to a consensus that we agree with what the government proposed,” said Rinzin Jamtsho, the Chairperson of the Human Rights and Foreign Relations Committee.
The convention has 41 articles mainly dealing with money laundering and corruption, prosecution, adjudication and sanction, mechanism pertaining to extradition and mutual legal assistance and national efforts in preventing transnational organized crime among others. The protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children is a subsidiary protocol under the convention.
The House with the majority votes however came to a consensus to disagree on three sections under three different articles. The sections concern making the convention as the legal basis for cooperation of extradition and referring the case to the international court of justice.
The convention is also expected to supplement the BIMSTEC convention on international terrorism, transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking which was ratified by the country last year. The house will officially ratify the convention tomorrow.
Samten Dolkar
