Title: UNODC technical assistance in strengthening the rule of law and criminal justice reform Governance,
1UNODC technical assistance in strengthening the
rule of law and criminal justice
reformGovernance, Human Security and the Rule
of Law Section/ Division of OperationsOrganized
Crime and Criminal Justice Section/ Division of
Treaty Affairs
2CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND THE FIGHT AGAINST ORGANIZED
CRIME
- Recognizing also that effective criminal
justice systems based on the rule of law are a
prerequisite for combating transnational
organized crime, trafficking in human beings,
terrorism, corruption and other forms of
transnational and domestic criminal activity
(ECOSOC resolution 2005/21 of 22 July 2005) - UNODC considers that a robust, holistic and
prevention-focused response to organized crime
includes the adoption of effective crime
prevention measures and the establishment of
fair, efficient and effective criminal justice
systems based on the rule of law. - UNODC assists States in developing strategies to
prevent crime and reform all aspects of their
criminal justice systems, in accordance with UN
standards and norms. -
3UNODC STRATEGY 2008-2011
- Under its Rule of Law component, the Strategy
identifies two main objectives - promote, at the request of Member States,
effective responses to crime, drugs and terrorism
by facilitating the implementation of relevant
international legal instruments and - (b) promote, at the request of Member States,
effective, fair, and humane criminal justice
systems through the use and application of United
Nations standards and norms in crime prevention
and criminal justice -
4CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND THE FIGHT AGAINST ORGANIZED
CRIME
-
- Fair, effective and humane criminal justice
systems based on the rule of law require - Independent and professional judiciary and
prosecutorial services - Trained police and prison authorities, that
understand and respect the balance between law
enforcement and human rights, and the need for
integrity and resistance to corruption - Efficient case management and monitoring systems.
5UNODC THEMATIC PROGRAMMES
- UNODC Thematic Programmes provide an overview of
UNODC mandate and strategy in a particular
thematic area -such as organized crime,
corruption, criminal justice reform and crime
prevention, health and human development- and are
being developed across divisions. - They integrate the various components of UNODC
expertise in the areas of advocacy, research,
legislative and legal support, norm setting and
technical assistance.
6THEMATIC PROGRAMME ON CRIME PREVENTION AND
CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAIN ELEMENTS
- The UNODC TP on crime prevention and criminal
justice, currently under finalization,
establishes the link between crime prevention,
criminal justice, development, rule of law and
peace and security. - It is part of UNODC implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals and of the
Secretary-General Guidance Note on Rule of Law
Assistance. - The TP identifies nine specific outcomes. Each
outcome has geographic and substantive priority
areas.
7THEMATIC PROGRAMME ON CRIME PREVENTION AND
CRIMINAL JUSTICE Outcomes
- 1) Increased capacity of Member States to use
and implement relevant UN standards and norms in
crime prevention and criminal justice through
provision of legislative and policy assistance
and advice - 2) Strengthened access to justice and legal aid
strategies and programmes, with particular focus
on the most vulnerable groups in society - 3) Development and implementation of
multi-sectoral crime prevention strategies,
action plans and measures - 4) Adoption of strategies, legislation and action
plans to strengthen the accessibility, integrity,
accountability and capacity of police services,
prosecution services, judiciary and prison
systems
8THEMATIC PROGRAMME ON CRIME PREVENTION AND
CRIMINAL JUSTICE Outcomes (contd)
- 5) Adoption of measures to address overcrowding
and human rights violations in prisons - 6) Development and implementation of legislation,
policies, strategies and plans to ensure justice
for children in conflict with the law, victims
and witnesses of crime. - 7) Adoption of sustainable crime prevention and
criminal justice responses to violence against
women/gender-based violence - 8) Adoption of measures to empower victims
through access to justice measures and assistance
and protection services. - 9) Development of a sustainable ability to
collect, store, analyze and report data on
specific crime issues, trends and aspects of the
operation of criminal justice systems and to use
population-based surveys as a tool to collect
information on victimization experience,
perceptions and attitudes of selected target
groups on crime, violence and corruption
9UNODC Technical Assistance in Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice
- Since 1999, UNODC has delivered technical
assistance in various thematic areas in criminal
justice and crime prevention - Since 2005, the programme has made a focused
effort in developing tools, building partnerships
and providing field-level technical assistance. - Tools include the Criminal Justice Assessment
Tool, the Criminal Justice handbook series, and
since 2008 a number of tools in crime prevention
10UNODC TA in CP and CJ ongoing field projects
Afg. and Central Asia 6 proj., 23 m, criminal
justice and prison reform
MENA 8 proj., 9.5 m, juvenile justice, prisons
and criminal justice reform
South East and South Asia 2 proj. 1.8m
violence against women and children
Central and South America 8 projects, 4.9m,
crime and violence prevention, Violence against
Women
Sub-Saharan Africa 8 proj., 35 m victims,
prison reform, Violence against Women and access
to justice
11Lessons learned and guiding principles
- Base assistance on international norms and
standards - Take account of the political context
- Base assistance on the unique country context
(in-depth assessments a prerequisite) - Advance human rights and gender (focus on
children, women and vulnerable groups) - Ensure national ownership (project results are
national results) - Support national reform constituencies (building
the capacity of mid-level technicians and
policy-makers as agents for change) - Ensure a coherent and comprehensive strategic
approach (programmes cover several thematic areas
and work with several ministries and partners,
building inter-ministerial coordination) - Engage in effective coordination and partnerships
(UNDP, DPKO, UNICEF, international NGOs and
professional organisations)
12Programme in Southern Sudan
- Justice system devastated by two decades of
conflict - Initial focus on reforming prisons
- Technical intervention to improve human rights
- Leadership training
- Vulnerable groups (women, children, mentally ill)
- File management
- Prison health
- Emerging integrated programme anti-corruption,
mobile courts and access to justice - UNODC project office integrated into UNMIS Rule
of Law
13- Programme in Guinea Bissau
- Unable to respond to threat of drug trafficking
and organized crime justice institutions
devastated by conflict - Close co-operation with PBC and UNOGBIS
- Integrated programme across several mandate areas
- Technical intervention to bolster state capacity
14Way forward
- Requirement for sustained engagement
- Integration of rule of law programming into
peacekeeping missions, one-UN and joint
programming - From projects to integrated programmes
- UNODC comparative advantage specialized criminal
justice expertise within human rights framework - Specific UNODC tools/practical materials as a
resource for wider UN system (UN ROL network) - Respond to the growing requests while maintaining
high-quality technical assistance with national
ownership
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