Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Newsletter

Transcription

1 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Newsletter Issued by the Rule of Law Unit 29 June 2012 No. 1/2012 Message from the Chair Content The UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro As Chair of the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group (RoLCRG), I am happy to introduce the first RoLCRG Newsletter. The aim of this Newsletter is to increase awareness among United Nations Member States and the United Nations system regarding the activities of the RoLCRG Members. As a lawyer and former professor of law, I hold a deep personal commitment to the United Nations work in promoting the rule of law. A strong effort is being made to render the Organization s commitment in support of rule of law activities more strategic and coherent. Promoting the rule of law at both the national and international levels is at the very heart of the United Nations mission. The principle that everyone from individuals to States is accountable to laws that are equally enforced and independently adjudicated is a fundamental concept. It drives the UN s work in all areas and at all levels from the maintenance of peace and security to sustainable development. One of the key challenges we face is that the rule of law field is crowded and complex. There are many different actors in this area, from inside and outside the United Nations. These actors, working on a range of critical global goals, such as human rights, democracy and peacebuilding, will be brought together by the High-level Meeting of the 67 th Session of the General Assembly on the rule of law at the national and international levels. This High-level Meeting will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 24 September It will be a unique occasion for all Member States, non-governmental organizations and civil society, to discuss and agree a forward-looking agenda on strengthening the rule of law. At the end of this month, I am handing over the duties of the Deputy Secretary-General and the Chair of the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group to Mr. Jan Eliasson. I am confident that considering Mr. Eliasson s extensive experience, the Organization s work in promoting the rule of law will continue to produce significant outcomes. In particular, I wish for fruitful deliberations during the preparations for the Highlevel Meeting. I hope that an action-oriented outcome document will be adopted, to further strengthen the Organization s rule of law activities and to enhance the intergovernmental dialogue on the rule of law. I hope you find this Newsletter informative and beneficial for your work. We also welcome any suggestions you may have for future editions. Thank you. Message from the Chair Updates from the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group In Focus Article: Second UN Unified Rule of Law Training session organised in Turin Announcements on upcoming events: The Highlevel Meeting on the Rule of Law, 24 September 2012 Voices from the RoLCRG: UNICEF Birth Registration, Justice and Equity

2 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Page 2 UNHCR UNHCR s year-long effort to commemorate the 60 th Anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 50 th Anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness culminated in a twoday ministerial meeting in Geneva on 7-8 December With over 800 participants from 155 countries and 72 delegations headed at ministerial level, this was the largest meeting ever devoted to the protection of refugees and stateless persons. One hundred and three participating states and three international organizations made concrete pledges to address forced displacement and to improve the protection of refugees and/or stateless persons, including commitments such as withdrawal of reservations to the 1951 Refugee Convention, accession to the statelessness conventions, adoption or amendment of national asylum and nationality laws and implementation of durable solutions, such as local integration. It is particularly noteworthy that eight countries became parties to one or both of the statelessness conventions in 2011 and an additional 31 countries pledged their future accession. The pledges have been published on the UNHCR website as a basis for pursuing their follow-up. OLA Updates from the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group The year 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In December 2011, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to organize activities to mark the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which today has 162 parties, including the European Union. UNCLOS was opened for signature at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 10 December 1982 and came into force on 16 November 1994, one year after Guyana became the 60th to adhere to it. The General Assembly has consistently called upon States to become parties to the Convention, which sets out the legal framework within which all activities on the oceans and seas must be carried out. In November 2011, OLA, in collaboration with UNDP, OHCHR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, organized a regional seminar for Central and South American countries on treaty law and practice and domestic implementation of treaty obligations in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. The participants in the seminar, representing 19 countries, drew up concrete objectives for the region to be attained after the seminar, such as participating in human rights treaties and registering treaties with the Secretariat pursuant to Article 102 of the UN Charter. The seminar contributed, in a concrete way, to the wider effort to strengthen the rule of law at the international level. The highly positive feedback from the seminar participants underscored that cooperation within the UN could generate real impact on the rule of law. UNODC Thanks to the contribution of the Government of the United Arab Emirates, an intergovernmental expert group (IEGM) on civilian private security services was held on October The meeting discussed State oversight of such services and how they contribute to crime prevention and community safety. As a result, the group endorsed draft preliminary recommendations which are submitted to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at its twenty-first session (23-27 April 2012) for consideration (see document E/CN.15/2012/20). On strengthening access to legal aid in criminal justice systems, UNODC organized an open-ended IEGM from November 2011 pursuant to resolution 2007/24 of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The outcome of the meeting was a finalized draft of UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems that is contained in document E/ CN.15/2012/17 to be submitted to the Crime Commission in April With regard to the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMRs) UNODC organized from 31 January to 2 February 2012 an open ended intergovernmental expert group to exchange related information. UNODC in partnership with UNSG Special Representative on Violence against Children and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights convened on January 2012 an informal Expert Consultation on the Prevention of and Responses to Violence Against Children Within the Juvenile Justice System. UNICEF and experts on juvenile justice from all regions also took part in the meeting.

3 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Page 3 The Expert Meeting adopted important conclusions and placed special emphasis on following three recommendations: Firstly, it is imperative to promote strong and cohesive national child protection systems to prevent the involvement of children in the criminal juvenile justice system, and to secure children s protection from violence. Secondly, it is crucial to set a minimum age of criminal responsibility in compliance with international standards and to reduce the use of deprivation of liberty to situations where this is truly a measure of last resort and, when such exceptional cases occur, for the shortest period of time possible; banning all forms of inhuman discipline and sentencing is of utmost urgency, and investing in restorative justice, diversion mechanism and alternatives to deprivation of liberty is a fundamental component of this process. Thirdly, it is urgent to develop accountability and enforcement mechanisms to prevent violence and to hold perpetrators accountable for incidents of violence against children. The Consultation s conclusions and recommendations were presented during the Annual Full Day Meeting on the Rights of the Child of the Human Rights Council, in Geneva, and will inform the development of a thematic report to be made available in Summer UNODC is currently assisting the judiciaries (as well as prosecutors and defence lawyers) in Peru and Ecuador by compiling and distributing jurisprudence (case law) on how courts have interpreted the law with respect to many crimes and with respect to criminal procedure. This work is helping the Judiciaries in both countries to produce more consistent decisions, and is helping prosecutors and defence lawyers to more accurately estimate the likely decision of a judge in their cases. More consistent decisions by the courts in Peru and Ecuador is therefore producing a more predictable (and less arbitrary) judicial decisionmaking process, and thus strengthening the Rule of Law. For more information on the good practices developed through UNODC's work in this area, please contact james.shaw@unodc.org. In Central Asia, UNODC organized in Tashkent, regional training courses on torture and ill-treatment at pretrial stage on March for judges and on March for lawyers. OHCHR The Heads of Human Rights Components in UN Peace Missions met in New York between 7 and 9 February 2012 to reflect on the advancement of human rights through Peace Missions. The meeting was attended by representatives of DPA, DPKO, DFS, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, OLA, O/SRSG Sexual Violence in Conflict, UN WOMEN, OHRM, as well as New York based NGOs. A specific session was dedicated to combatting impunity and transitional justice, with panellists from OHCHR, human rights components and OROLSI. The session revolved around three main themes: impunity and national frameworks for protection; peace and justice; and national consultations. Participants noted challenges and innovative approaches in ensuring that perpetrators of human rights violations are brought to justice, and examples of work of UNAMA with regard to addressing allegations of torture in detention, as well efforts of BNUB to strengthen national institutions to address human rights violations were discussed. The importance of collaboration between the Justice/Rule of Law and Human Rights Components was also highlighted, particularly with regard to public reporting, monitoring of prisons, and identifying incentives for reform of justice and security institutions. In situations where the political will was lacking to ensure accountability for the past crimes, examples of the Human Rights Components supporting civil society and victims' organizations in their quests for justice, truth, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence were discussed. Importance of the comprehensive and inclusive consultation process was noted and the following lessons learnt from Burundi were identified: involvement of civil society organisations and tailored communication with local communities to ensure local ownership; scientific method used to identify the sample of the populations; and questionnaires including gender and children related issues. DPA On 7 February 2012, DPA and UNODC co-organized a high-level briefing by the UN System Task Force on Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime to UN Member States entitled: The Challenges posed by Drugs and Crime: A System-wide Perspective. The briefing, which generated significant interest among Member States with over 100 delegations in attendance, was cochaired by the Permanent Representatives of Mexico and Austria. Presentations were made by Mr. Fedotov (UNODC) and Mr. Pascoe (DPA), as well as Ms. Bachelet (UN Women), Ms. Cheng-Hopkins (PBSO), Mr. Titov (DPKO), Ms. Kran (OHCHR), Ms. Cliffe (Civilian Capacities Project), Ms. Fra-

4 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Page 4 sier Moleketi (UNDP), and other UN agencies. The presentations highlighted the multifaceted nature of the challenge and its negative impact on development, women, youth, human rights, the rule of law, and peace and security. They also drove home the need for comprehensive and integrated social, development and security approaches to the threat. Member States welcomed the creation of the Task Force, and expressed their expectation that it would lead to a more robust and coherent UN response. UN WOMEN From February 2012, the Government of Uganda, civil society, victims organisations, development partners and transitional justice experts came together to move forward the discussion on the right to remedy and reparations for victims of the conflict in northern Uganda at a national conference jointly hosted by the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Women. The conference, which was organised under the theme Reparations Policy and Programming: Charting a Way Forward in Uganda, sought to engage national stakeholders to reflect on research evidence on reparations in consequence of the northern Uganda conflict in order to contribute to a national reparations policy and programme for the victims. Guiding the discussion at the meeting, two reports were launched: The report The Dust Has Not Yet Settled, a joint report by the UNHRC and OHCHR, describes the victims views on key elements of reparations, in relation to their entitlements under domestic and international instruments and in view of the serious human rights violations that they suffered. The report, Reparations, Development and Gender, a joint report by UN Women and UNDP, highlights potential complementarities between reparations and development, and provides recommendations for securing gender transformative reparations, and the role of the UN and other actors in supporting comprehensive reparations programmes. Both government and civil society representatives at the conference agreed on the need for the State to fulfil its obligations to provide remedy and reparations to victims of the conflict in northern Uganda. Discussions centred on the most appropriate modalities for doing so with the recommendation that remedy be addressed holistically through material and symbolic, collective and individual measures. The conference was successful in engaging key stakeholders on the development of victim-centred and gender-just reparations policy proposals in northern Uganda, considering in detail many of the recommendations in The Dust Has Not Yet Settled and Reparations, Development and Gender. The outcome of this conference will be an important contribution to the Transitional Justice Policy that is currently underway in Uganda. On April 17-19, UN Women, OHCHR and the International Center for Transitional Justice jointly organized an experts group meeting with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. The meeting took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and was held in support of a draft General Comment on Gender and Enforced Disappearances. Participants included forced disappearance experts, representatives of victims, family members, legal specialists, transitional justice experts and Working Group members. Also present were other UN mandate holders and treaty body representatives, including the Chair of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice. For women who are often the secondary victims of enforced disappearances, the harms of this crime can include the psychological impacts of not knowing the fate of loved ones, cultural stigma directed at widows, and socio-economic consequences which are often aggravated by not having access to inheritance, land, pensions or other means of survival without formal death certificates. Because of these differential impacts on women, the meeting had a specific focus how transitional justice mechanisms can be reformed to adequately redress the gendered harms of these crimes. DPKO The United Nations Rule of Law Indicators were launched in July The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), with the benefit of system-wide input, developed the tool. At the launch, Dmitry Titov, Assistant Secretary-General for the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI), noted that the Indicators will serve to highlight apparent successes and shortcomings within institutions and to monitor changes over time within countries, though they are not intended to compare or rank states.

5 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Page 5 This groundbreaking instrument can be used, at the request of the government concerned, to obtain information regarding criminal justice institutions in a given country and the transformation of these institutions over time. Ultimately, the tool will be of use beyond the peacekeeping context, to be made available to national governments as an ongoing monitoring mechanism for their own progress in developing their criminal justice institutions and strengthening the rule of law. The Indicators are already being implemented in Haiti, Liberia and the Republic of South Sudan. Reports are expected to be completed by June The United Nations Rule of Law Indicators document is available at h t t p : / / w w w. u n. o r g / e n / peacekeeping/ issues/ ruleoflaw/ index.shtml The Justice and Corrections Standing Capacity (JSCS), based in Brindisi, became fully operational in June Operating alongside the Standing Police Capacity (SPC), the JCSC s core functions are to start new UN justice and corrections components in field operations and to reinforce existing operations. Robert Pulver, Chief of the Criminal Law and Judicial Advisory Service (CLJAS), called the establishment of the team a major breakthrough and said that the team adds significant value to UN efforts to both ensure rapid deployment to startup peacekeeping missions and strengthen existing field presences. The JCSC has already proved successful in enhancing the United Nations rule of law response capacity to meet urgent case-specific demands by rapidly deploying within days of requests being received from missions in South Sudan and Côte d Ivoire. CLJAS participated in the establishment of the Group of Friends of Corrections, which was formalized at a meeting on 10 November 2011 in New York. The meeting was held under the leadership of Sweden, and was attended by key United Nations partners (including UNODC, UNDP and ICRC). The Group, which will meet at least annually, intends to support DPKO, with a focus on training, development of doctrine and implementation of concrete projects, while DPKO will provide updated information on needs in peacekeeping as well as a prioritized project portfolio in the corrections area. This represents an important level of support for corrections, which is an area that needs greater prominence in rule of law work. The secondment of judicial experts is a novel approach to securing specialized civilian expertise in the justice sector, and one which is in line with the recommendations of the Senior Advisory Group on Civilian Capacity in the Aftermath of Conflict (A/65/747 S/2011/85). Following budgetary approval for the secondment of judicial experts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), Haiti (MINUSTAH), Darfur (UNAMID) and South Sudan (UNMISS), note verbales were transmitted to 155 Member States, seeking nominations of qualified candidates in a variety of judicial profiles. Recruitment is complete for the posts in UNAMID and nearing completion for the posts in MONUSCO. Interviews are commencing for vacant posts in MINUSTAH. In 2012, a seconded justice post was approved in the revised UNOCI budget. CLJAS is in the process of building a roster of pre-approved candidates; nominations are therefore accepted on a rolling basis. DPKO has developed the United Nations rule of law course for Judicial Affairs Officers in UN Peacekeeping Operations. The six-day course is held twice a year in Africa in partnership with ZIF (the German Center for International Peacekeeping). Participants and instructors come from a full range of United Nations entities and Member States. The course is based upon a 300-page Instructors Manual, developed with extensive system-wide input (with support from Canada). The Instructors Manual has been endorsed by the Rule of Law Coordination and Resources Group. The Manual was a significant input for the development of the pilot edition of the UN Unified Rule of Law Training. With funding from the Government of Canada, CLJAS/OROLSI/DPKO is developing a Handbook for Judicial Affairs Officers in UN Peacekeeping Operations. The Handbook will provide comprehensive background information and guidance for judicial affairs officers on their functions. It will complement the Instructor s Manual for the Rule of Law Training Programme for Judicial Affairs Officers, United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, and will be provided to training participants. It will also be widely available as a reference tool for all judicial affairs officers and others who engage in rule of law activities. It is scheduled to be completed by summer 2012, with a French translation to be produced thereafter. UNDP In Somalia, the national authorities, with the support of UNDP have made important progress in strengthening the justice system and improving access to justice across the country, despite a volatile and inaccessible environment in

6 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Page 6 many areas. Improvements in access to justice for the local population have been achieved through a comprehensive range of measures, including the establishment of legal aid clinics and mobile courts in all regions of the country, training almost 5,000 police officers and supporting innovative reforms such as improved case management systems. As a result, there has been an impressive increase in the number of people accessing the formal justice system from 1,852 in 2006 to over 10,000 in Legal aid services are now available throughout Somalia and are being accessed by local populations in increasing numbers. From 2009 to 2010 alone, the number of people accessing legal aid more than quadrupled from approximately 1,500 to over 7,000. Particular progress has been made in providing women with access to justice, including through the establishment of Women and Child Desks in the Somaliland Police Force, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, and support to the increasing women in the legal profession, judiciary and the police force. The improved security situation in Somaliland has allowed for further progress in recent months with the launch of the Somaliland Government s National Justice Strategy in December This Strategy marks another important step in the efforts to ensure justice and human rights. THE CIVILIAN CAPACITIES PROCESS Hervé Ladsous, the Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations and Helen Clark, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme announced on 6 June that the two organizations would assume joint responsibility as the Global Focal Point for justice, police and corrections in postconflict and other crisis situations. In the Civilian Capacities process, launched initially by the Secretary- General in 2009, police, justice and corrections was considered to be the most urgent operational area to apply new global focal point arrangements, due to high demand from Member States for the UN s services and a continuing perception that the existing arrangements have failed to bring the necessary clarity, capacity and accountability to delivery of support in this critical area. The new arrangement will cover all countries with a peacekeeping or special political mission, as well as priority non-mission countries that are affected by conflict. The most important objective of this arrangement is to deliver better results on the ground. "As the joint Global Focal Point, DPKO and UNDP commit themselves to respond to requests from the country-level with timely and quality assistance in terms of global knowledge and people, and with advice on assessments, planning, funding and partnerships," explained Helen Clark. Security Council Discusses Rule of Law in International Peace and Security A wide view of the Security Council as it discusses the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law in maintenance of international peace and security. Members of the Council were presented with the Secretary-General s report, entitled The rule of law and transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict societies (S/2011/634). 19 January 2012 UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

7 Page 7 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Second UN Unified Rule of Law Training session organised in Turin From 27 May to 1 June 2012 the United Nations Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group, in partnership with United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) and with support from the Government of Finland, organized the second UN Unified Rule of Law Training course at the United Nations Campus in Turin, Italy. The course was attended by 28 highly experienced participants, currently working in the field and representing the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF), the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The overall output of the training project is to strengthen coherence, coordination and effectiveness in the Organization s rule of law delivery through promoting a common, unified understanding of challenges, approaches and potential solutions among high-level, field-based staff, and between headquarters and the The training drew from the knowlfield. edge of participants through facili- tated discussions and group work on a hypothetical case study. The training modules covered contexts and challenges, coordination and implementation, rule of law programming and exit strategies. During the course, the participants discussed among other issues the challenges in coordination and the UN approach to address these challenges, and they exchanged knowledge based on the extensive experience they possessed. The next steps include the updating of the facilitators manual taking into account the participant evaluations and sending out a call for participants for a third UN Unified Rule of Law Training session in Entebbe, Uganda, scheduled to take place in November 2012.

8 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Page 8 Announcements on upcoming events: the High-level Meeting on the rule of law The High-level Meeting of the 67th Session of the General Assembly on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 24 September This is a unique occasion for all Member States, non-governmental organisations and civil society represented at the highest level, to discuss and agree a forward looking agenda on strengthening the rule of law. The General Assembly resolution A/ RES/66/102 decided that the highlevel meeting will result in a concise outcome document. This outcome document is currently being negotiated by the Member States, with the Permanent Representatives of Mexico and Denmark acting as cofacilitators. The President of the General Assembly is compiling a list of nongovernmental organisations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, as well as a list of civil society organisations, active in the field of the rule of law, who wish to participate in the high-level meeting. In addition, a limited number of r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f n o n - governmental organisations active in the field of rule of law will be invited to speak. For instructions for non-governmental organizations and the civil society on how to register for the event, please click here. The High-level Meeting is a significant milestone for the UN. On this occasion, governments can turn vision and goodwill into concrete commitments through voluntary pledges. Pledges can provide a way for governments to show leadership on particular rule of law issues based on their national priorities and needs. Pledges also provide a useful platform for local discussions within national government, with civil society and, where appropriate, assistance providers. For more information on the voluntary pledging by Member States, please click here. For more information on the Highlevel Meeting and related documentation please visit: Voices from the RoLCRG Birth Registration, Justice and Equity Universal birth registration is fundamental for ensuring that everyone is given equal opportunities of development, participation and protection within a society. Denying some children access to a legal identity threatens the principles of equality before the law, fairness in the application of the law and participation in decision-making. In Mexico, although the national registration rate is over 90%, one in five children in rural areas is not registered by their first birthday. UNICEF has supported ef-

9 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Page 9 forts to eliminate gaps in capacity for birth registration, working both at the national level ensuring the availability of disaggregated information to direct attention to areas of most need, and focusing cooperation with states with the lowest coverage. In Chiapas, which in 2009 was registering under 60% of children in their first year, legal reform extended free birth registration to the first year of children s lives, and made registration of children of migrants born in Mexico, obligatory independent of the migratory status of their parents. Collaboration with the health sector was crucial to set up registration units in 25 maternity hospitals, and train health workers and indigenous midwives in how to promote birth registration with expectant and recent mothers. Further action was targeted to reach indigenous populations in the 28 municipalities with the lowest human development index in the state, offering free registration to all independent of age, to clear an intergenerational backlog of nondocumentation. Fines for late registration were removed in these municipalities, campaign materials including comics and radio spots were circulated in indigenous languages, and remote communities reached by a mobile unit donated by UNICEF. In Chiapas state, the combination of strategies resulted in increasing coverage of the registration of newborns in their first year of life by over 10% from only 61.7% in 2009 to over 72% in The promotion of birth registration among excluded population groups, like this example from Mexico shows, is an important component of UNICEF s approach for greater equity and social justice.

10 Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Page 10 Under the ultimate authority and direction of the Secretary-General, responsibility since 2007 for the overall coordination and coherence of rule of law within the United Nations system rests with the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group. The Group is chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General and supported by its secretariat, the Rule of Law Unit. Members of the Group are the principals of the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Group serves an important coordination function, while the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group operational role remains squarely with the individual UN entities. The Group s role is to ensure coherence and minimize fragmentation across all thematic rule of law areas, including justice, security, prison and penal reform, legal reform, constitution-making, and transitional justice. The mission of its members is to work together and in support of one another, in the spirit of shared values and principles, to ensure effective and coherent UN rule of law efforts that are aligned with the aspirations of partners at the national and international levels. The specific tasks of the Group Rule of Law Unit The Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group is chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General, with the support of the Rule of Law Unit in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. Seminar organized by the RoLCRG and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN include: assisting in the development of overall strategies for rule of law assistance; providing policy direction by the preparation of policy papers, in conjunction with relevant lead entities; maintaining a clearing house of information about who in the UN provides what rule of law assistance, as an information resource for those inside and outside the United Nations; helping to ensure the Organization s effective and coherent responses to requests from States for assistance, in close collaboration with lead entities; facilitating contact between United Nations actors involved in rule of law programming and Member States, regional and intergovernmental organizations, donors and nongovernmental organizations; and acting as a resource for the Peacebuilding Commission and Peacebuilding Support Office. The institutional arrangements around the rule of law, including the mandate of the RoLCRG are currently being reviewed by the Deputy Secretary-General, in response to a decision of the Policy Committee in December The Unit s substantive support falls into three broad areas of activity: ensuring coordination and coherence among the many United Nations entities engaged in rule of law activities; developing systemwide strategies, policy direction and guidance for the Organization s activities in promoting the rule of law; and enhancing partnerships between the United Nations and other rule of law actors. The Unit supports the Group in its task of acting as a repository for the Organization s rule of law materials and best practices, and in establishing and managing web resources. Rule of Law Unit Executive Office of the Secretary-General United Nations Headquarters First Avenue at 46th Street New York, NY USA For more information, visit us at