The two previous issues of the UNCJIN Crime and Justice Letter were devoted to the founding of UNCJIN and to victimization. The present issue focuses on trends in urban crime prevention.

Urban populations are growing. The proportion of the world's population in cities has increased from 17 per cent in 1950 to 50 per cent in 1994 and is expected to reach 69 per cent by 2025. In 1990, 58 of the 100 largest metropolitan areas were located in developing countries. In industrialized and developing countries alike, cities have become breeding grounds for crime and insecurity. In the light of these trends, the United Nations, Governments and non-governmental organizations are focusing their attention on how to deal with the exponential growth of cities and the problems associated with this growth.

The article contained in this newsletter, "Trends in Urban Crime Prevention", was contributed by the Intentional Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPCJ. It surveys the extent of urban crime and highlights some of the latest initiatives designed to cope with urban crime, delinquency marginality and decay. As for the Guidelines for Cooperation and Technical Assistance in the Field of Urban Crime Prevention, they are presented as an example of the United Nations' role in intentional data-sharing and in the coordination of practical community-based solutions to crime prevention.