Jakarta, Indonesia, 10–13 June 2025 - Government focal points and crime statistics experts from across East and Southeast Asia gathered in Jakarta for the first regional United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (UN-CTS) focal points meeting. Jointly hosted by the UNODC-KOSTAT Centre of Excellence (CoE), UNODC Indonesia, and Badan Pusat Statistik – Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the event provided a much-needed platform to strengthen cooperation on crime and criminal justice statistics, revitalizing momentum for more effective and comparable UN-CTS reporting.
The meeting brought together representatives from ten countries: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Timor-Leste, as well as the ASEAN Statistics Division (ASEANstats), marking the first such regional gathering and the first global focal points meeting in seven years, following earlier sessions in Vienna (2016) and Lima (2018). While more than half of the participants had prior experience completing UN-CTS submissions, some were engaging in the process for the first time.
The meeting commenced with opening remarks from representatives of UNODC CoE, UNODC Indonesia, and BPS. Jonghee Choi, Coordinator of the CoE, welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of peer learning through the exchange of good practices. Erik van der Veen, Head of UNODC Indonesia and UNODC Liaison to ASEAN, highlighted the need for collective and timely action against evolving transnational crimes, such as cybercrime, through standardized diagnostics using strong evidence and its use for decision making. Sonny Harry Budiutomo Harmadi, Vice Chief Statistician of BPS, underlined the workshop’s role in reaffirming inter-agency consistency and alignment with international standards, emphasizing the broader benefits at both the regional and global levels.
Building Practical Understanding of UN-CTS and ICCS Frameworks
The thematic sessions were delivered by Jisu Kim, Statistical Officer, and Claudia Pontoglio, Research Officer from the CoE, beginning with an overview of crime and criminal justice (CCJ) information: an introduction to key data producers, the procedures of generating administrative records across criminal justice systems, and suggested statistical indicators for monitoring crime trends and CCJ performance. The trainers also introduced the purpose and benefits of the UN-CTS and the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS), along with the detailed structure of both frameworks.
Subsequent sessions explored the six UN-CTS modules in greater depth, guiding participants through its data files and metadata templates. Participants examined statistical definitions of key crimes addressed by the UN-CTS, including Intentional homicide, physical and sexual violent crimes, other offences, as well as its recommended measurements on incidents, offences, victims, and offenders. Hands-on activities provided the opportunity to simulate the data compilation process, identify available national data sources and key challenges, and reflect on their critical roles as national coordinators.
Interactive formats encouraged participants to actively engage in discussion. Common challenges in compiling crime statistics and using data for analysis included fragmented data sources, varying definitions across agencies, and differences in legal frameworks. The ICCS was highlighted again as a practical tool to help countries bridge these differences, enabling national data to be classified into internationally comparable categories across agencies.
Diverse Country Approaches Reflect Shared Goals for Better Crime Statistics
Every participant had the opportunity to exchange ongoing practices and national initiatives with their peers. Cambodia’s National Institute of Statistics shared experiences integrating victimization survey modules and working alongside other ministries that manage administrative records. Malaysia’s Department of Statistics outlined its coordination of nine ministries to compile national crime statistics and publish annual reports. China introduced ongoing efforts to align court statistics with the ICCS and publish crime data through the National Bureau of Statistics. Indonesia’s BPS presented the Single Data on Crime Statistics (DTSK) initiative, which aims to harmonize crime classifications and improve inter-agency coordination
Timor-Leste, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea discussed their stages of ICCS implementation. Timor-Leste introduced its preparation for ICCS adoption, the Philippines shared ongoing efforts to align police crime records with ICCS categories and plans for a unified crime index database, and Korea showcased its integrated justice statistics platform and the production of maritime crime statistics, jointly developed by Statistics Korea and the Korea Coast Guard.
Mongolia and Thailand provided examples of extensive statistical information. Mongolia shared its detailed statistics on intentional homicide and sexual violence, emphasizing the availability of disaggregated data by key variables. Thailand presented corrections statistics and explained how these statistics support prison management and policy development, despite limited cross-agency data integration. The ASEAN Statistics Division (ASEANstats) also contributed to the exchange, sharing regional efforts to compile crime- and justice-related Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators among ASEAN Member States.
These exchanges showcased the diversity of national contexts and experiences but also highlighted shared priorities: improving coordination across agencies, enhancing the quality and comparability of crime data, and ensuring that statistics contribute meaningfully to justice policy and public accountability. Here, the UN-CTS was framed as a framework for national CCJ data assessment and a supporting analytical tool to suggest a core set of crime and criminal justice statistics to produce.
Towards a Stronger Regional Crime Statistics Community
Throughout the meeting, participants gained confidence in navigating technical requirements of the UN-CTS and agreed on a shared vision for a stronger regional crime data community. As suggested by participants, online collaboration platforms were established and opened to all participants as a first step toward maintaining regular exchange. Broadening the role of the UN-CTS by holding the focal points meeting on a regular basis was also proposed, enabling countries to review each other's responses and learn from comparative analysis of specific thematic areas covered by the UN-CTS.
The CoE, together with UNODC regional and country offices, remains dedicated to supporting this growing community of crime statistics practitioners. Through continued technical cooperation and regional dialogue, the CoE will assist countries in completing and improving their UN-CTS submissions, advancing the gradual implementation of the ICCS, and preparing for future cycles of the Crime Victimization Survey (CVS). These efforts will help countries produce more comprehensive and comparable data on crime and criminal justice, supporting better measurement of progress on Sustainable Development Goal 16, reducing violence, promoting access to justice, and building accountable institutions.
