Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group

Issued by the Rule of Law Unit

1 February 2013 No. 2/2013 The aim of this Newsletter is to increase awareness among Member States and the United Nations system on the activities of the of the members of the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group.

Message from the Chair

Full implementation of the obligations set forth in the United Nations Charter and in other international instruments, including the international human rights framework, is central to collective efforts to maintain international peace and security, effectively address emerging threats and to ensure accountability for international crimes.
Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson

Content
on 24 September at the United Nations Headquarters. Close to 70 Member States and observers addressed the Assembly and an important Declaration was adopted by the Heads of State and Government. It establishes a common understanding of the scope of the rule of law, ranging from peaceful settlement of disputes among States to access to justice for vulnerable groups, as well as sets out important definitional elements. Other highlights of the Declaration include the call for the interrelationship between the rule of law and the three pillars of the United Nations to be further developed. The SecretaryGeneral will propose ways to further develop such linkages in his report to the General Assembly during the 68th Session. In addition, over 40 Member States and observers made more than 250 pledges on how they would further strengthen the rule of law domestically or by supporting other Member States and actors. As the SecretaryGeneral has stated, this Message from the Chair Updates from the members of the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group Update: The Highlevel Meeting on the Rule of Law, 24 September 2012 Second UN Unified Rule of Law Training session organised in Turin Voices from the RoLCRG: Partners in law: Legal help leads to brighter futures for Tajikistans rural women

The rule of law is of fundamental importance for political dialogue and cooperation among all States, as well as for the strengthening of the three main pillars of the United Nations: international peace and security, human rights and development. At the international level, the rule of law provides predictability and legitimacy to the actions of States, strengthens their sovereign equality and underpins the responsibility of a State to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction.

At the national level, inclusive and accountable institutions that demonstrate equitable application of the rule of law are crucial for conflict prevention and post-conflict peacebuilding efforts. Interconnected threats such as organized crime, trafficking and terrorism undermine international security and development and require effective rule of law instruments at the national, regional and global levels. The rule of law further provides the backbone for the protection of human rights, and it also has strong linkages with sustainable development. In recognition of this key role, the General Assembly held a High-level Meeting on the rule of law

meeting was a milestone and we look forward to building on the momentum that it generated. As Chair of the Group, I hope that you enjoy reading this second edition of the Newsletter.

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Updates from Members of the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group
DPKO
On 26 July, the Corrections Advisory Section (CAS) of the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Support Office (ROLSISO) of UNMISS held a colourful medal parade to honour 59 Government-provided Corrections Officers, representing 14 countries, at the halfway mark of their twelvemonth secondment to UNMISS. This was the first time such a corrections medals parade was organised in the mission. The ceremony was headed by DSRSG Zenenga and the Director General of the National Prisons Service of South Sudan (NPSSS), Lt. General Makoi Wol. Further attendees included the Heads of Corrections and Prisons from Fiji, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as the President of the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), Mr. van der Sande. DSRSG Zenenga commended the work of CAS, and in particular its seconded officers, in support of NPSSS. He further encouraged the attending Heads of Corrections and Prisons to continue their assistance by providing additional seconded officers with specialized skill sets (e.g. engineering) to UNMISS. Moreover, the NPSSS Director General expressed his gratitude for the effective role played by UNMISS in addressing the complex set of challenges related to prison reform in South Sudan. The Swedish Prison and Probation Service, under the auspices of UNMISS, organized a two-week training course in sewing skills for ten Juba Prison officers and four female inmates completed from 14 to 25 May. Participants received instruction in the use of a sewing needle, the threading of a sewing machine and the making of a dress based on a pattern. National Prisons Service of South Sudan Director General Lt. Gen. Abel Makoi Wol said that the training would advance the rights of the female prisoners, who often number among the most vulnerable members of society. UNMISS Senior Corrections Advisor Richard Kuuire noted that the role of a prison service goes beyond that of mere incarceration. Our role is to rehabilitate people who are imprisoned, he said. In a country like this where there are no jobs, (there is a need) to teach these women skills (they can use) when they come out. The initiative is the fruit of a project started by UNODC in 2009 when it donated sewing machines to prisons in Juba, Bor, Wau and Malakal. To date, UNODC has donated 13 sewing machines to those facilities. lenging rule of law issues currently faced by mission justice components. The role-playing segment of the exercise was followed by sessions in which the participants, working in groups, reviewed and analyzed the issues that arose and then presented their analysis in a plenary discussion. As in past iterations of the course, participants and instructors came from a broad range of UN entities, Member States, and other entities. The 34 participants included judicial affairs officers and human rights officers from eight DPKO-led and four DPA-led missions, as well as representatives from UN Women, UNICEF, UNODC and the Rule of Law Unit. Member State observers attended from Canada, Germany and Libya. Representative or resource persons attended from the International Security Sector Advisory Team (ISSAT), Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF), as well as from Istanbul Bilgi University, the IPSTC, and the Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Juba Prison authorities set aside a room for the training course while the UNMISS-sponsored Swedish Prison and Probation Service donated fabric as well as sewing items like needles and thread. The inmates are expected to use their newfound skills to produce an estimated 800 uniforms for their fellow female prisoners. The participating prison officers will also serve as trainers for oth- The course, conducted at the Interer inmates. national Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC) in Nairobi, was jointly Further Enhancement of the Trainorganized and facilitated by CLJAS, ing for Judicial Affairs Officers: For ZIF (the German Center for Internathe fifth iteration of DPKOs Rule of tional Peace Operations), and IPSTC, Law Training for Judicial Affairs Officwith funding from Germany, Canada ers in UN Peacekeeping Operations, and the United Kingdom. CLJAS deheld in Nairobi, Kenya from 29 April signed the simulation exercise with to 5 May 2012, CLJAS/OROLSI/DPKO the support of the United Kingdom. piloted a one-day simulation exerThis course has been conducted cise, giving the participants an optwice a year, beginning in 2010 and portunity to apply the knowledge was last held in Nairobi from 7 to 13 and skills acquired during the course. October 2012 (sixth iteration). The simulation exercise was wellreceived and will form a regular part As a follow-up to the International of the course in the future. Corrections in Peacekeeping Conference held in Berlin on 20 and 21 The exercise confronted the particiJune, DPKO and the Special Rapporpants with some of the most chalteur on Prisons and Conditions of

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Detention in Africa discussed possibilities to collaborate in addressing some of the challenges faced by corrections components in peace operations. In order to strengthen the corrections systems in the respective countries, the Special Rapporteur and colleagues from the peacekeeping missions in South Sudan (UNMISS), Darfur (UNAMID) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), during the African Correctional Services Association conference scheduled to take place in October 2012 in Kampala, Uganda, will work on developing a draft protocol on Prisons and Corrections in Post Conflict Countries for the consideration of the African Commission of Human and Peoples Rights.

OLA
The third edition of the UNCITRAL Digest on the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the first UNCITRAL digest of Case Law on the Model Law on International Commercial arbitration have been published and made available for free on the UNCITRAL website. The UNCITRAL digests are a compilation or worldwide court and arbitral decisions on UNCITRAL texts. They identify trends in the interpretation of UNCITRAL standards and by doing so they serve as readily available tools for building local capacity of judges, arbitrators and other legal practitioners to better understand international commercial law standards and apply them in an uniform way. In this respect, they play a significant role in the fulfillment by States of their obligations under international commercial law treaties and other instruments to interpret those instruments with regard to their international origin and to the need to promote uniformity in their application and the observance of good faith.

Anniversary of the opening for signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 10 December 1982 to 10 December 2012 A great milestone was reached on 10 December 2012, which marked the 30th Anniversary of the opening for signature of UNCLOS. A number of activities were held over the course of the anniversary year to commemorate this important milestone. UNCLOS was opened for signature in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 10 December 1982. This marked the culmination of close to twenty-five years of negotiations since the international community first expressed, in 1958 at the First United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, its collective will to establish a comprehensive regime for the oceans and seas. As many as 119 States signed UNCLOS on the day of its adoption, making UNCLOS a living monument to international cooperation. On 16 November 1994, UNCLOS entered into force . To date, it unites 165 parties, including the European Union. UNCLOS contains provisions that reflect customary international law which are, therefore, also binding on States that have not become party to the Convention. Today, UNCLOS is widely known as the constitution for the oceans. One of the fundamental notions enshrined in UNCLOS is that all problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need to be addressed as a whole. The obligations incumbent upon all States to protect and preserve the marine environment illustrate the notion of interconnectedness among the various issues related to ocean space. UNCLOS has been supporting sustainable development: States reap the benefits from the resources of the seabed, they manage the living marine resources, and they preserve the marine environment. This, in turn, helps States and communities to

address their needs for energy and nutrition. Over the past three decades UNCLOS has given the world real results, including through the three institutions established in accordance with its provisions. These are the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the International Seabed Authority, and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. Commemorative Activities During the twenty-first Meeting of States parties to the Convention held from 4 to 11 June 2012, a Declaration on the thirtieth anniversary of the opening for signature of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted. In the Declaration States Parties recognised the pre-eminent contribution provided by UNCLOS to the strengthening of peace, security, cooperation and friendly relations among all nations in conformity with the principles of justice and equal rights and to the promotion of the economic and social advancement of the UN as set forth in the Charter, as well as to sustainable development of oceans and sea. The International Seabed Authority during its eighteenth session held a special session of the Assembly on 24 July 2012 to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention, and to pay tribute to those who worked for its successful adoption. An international conference Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Opening for Signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was held at the Yeosu World Expo, Republic of Korea, on 12 August 2012. The Conference was co-sponsored by the United Nations (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs), the Ministry of Foreign

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Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea and the Korea Maritime Institute, in cooperation with the Organizing Committee for the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea.

bearing in mind the challenges in its application, at the national and regional levels. Nevertheless, the overarching significance of UNCLOS for the strengthening of international peace and security as well as for conThe Conference was attended by the certed action towards sustainable Secretary-General of the United Na- development of the oceans and seas tions, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the Le- cannot be underestimated. gal Counsel of the United Nations, Ms. Patricia OBrien. Participants at the Conference also included former UNHCR representatives of States from the UNHCR has issued an Internal Office Asian region that had participated in Memorandum and developed a conthe Third United Nations Conference cept note on Access to Justice for on the Law of the Sea. victims of sexual and gender-based During the Conference, the Secretary -General launched his Oceans Compact which is a new initiative to strengthen United Nations systemwide work on oceans matters and support the implementation of the Law of the Sea. It sets out a strategic vision for the UN System to deliver more coherently and effectively on its oceans-related mandates, consistent with the Rio+20 outcome. It also provides a platform for all stakeholders to collaborate towards achieving Healthy Oceans for Prosperity. On 10 December 2012, the General Assembly held a special session dedicated to the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of UNCLOS. The session was highlighted by speeches by the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, representatives of the three institutions created by UNCLOS (the International Seabed Authority, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) and the International Court of Justice. The commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention provided a unique opportunity to assess the status of its implementation, violence. As part of its international protection mandate, UNHCR assumes a supportive role, assisting States to meet their international legal responsibilities and satisfy the requirements of rule of law, ensuring that refugees, internally displaced and stateless victims of SGBV have access to existing justice mechanisms. The note is aimed at clarifying how UNHCR can strengthen its efforts to ensure that justice is more accessible to all SGBV victims at all stages of the displacement cycle, being such efforts a crucial aspects of UNHCR's effective response to and prevention of SGBV.

Meeting in December 2011, but which had indicated an interest in taking an action on statelessness, refugees or internally displaced persons to take advantage of the pledging process at the High-Level meeting on the rule of law.

UNODC
UNODC and UNICEF organised a workshop in Vienna on 27-29 June, 2012 to promote the use of the UNODC/UNICEF training package on working with child victims and witnesses of crime. 27 Representatives of 10 CEE/CIS Countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Uzbekistan) have participated in the workshop and are now familiar with the main aspects of the Online Training Package.

The package is based on the UN Guidelines on justice in matters involving child victims and witnesses of crime (2005) and is designed to assist professionals who work with child victims and child witnesses in their daily practice and to encourage the development of a fair, effective and child sensitive justice system that safeguards the rights of child victims and child witnesses at all stages of UNHCR brought the High-Level the justice process. event of the GA on the Rule of Law The package is an online programme and its pledging process to the that allows professionals to acquire attention of its Regional Bureaux, the necessary knowledge, skills and Country Offices and States counterattitudes concerning child victims parts. UNHCR encouraged concerned and child witnesses through their States to make pledges on particular own computer in their own time and rule of law areas relevant to the proplace, without the assistance of a tection of refugees, internally disfacilitator. It is accessible at http:// placed and stateless persons (i.e. www.unodc.org/justice-childparticularly in relation to accession victims/ to the relevant conventions, reform of nationality laws to prevent and Joint UNODC-OHCHR and SRSG on reduce statelessness, action on inter- VAC Report on Prevention of and nally displaced, adoption/ Responses to Violence Against Chilamendment of legislation relating to dren within the Juvenile Justice Sysrefugees, etc.); and it encouraged tem. With Resolution 18/12 of 24 Governments that did not make September 2011, the Human Rights pledges at UNHCR's Ministerial Council invited OHCHR, UNODC, and

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the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children to collaborate in the organization of an expert consultation on the prevention of and responses to violence against children within the juvenile justice system and to submit a report thereon. The expert consultation took place on 23-24 January 2012 in Vienna. The resulting "Joint Report on Prevention of and Responses to Violence Against Children within the Juvenile Justice System" was presented during the session of the Human Rights Council in September 2012, and a side event during the 67th GA in October 2012 was jointly organised to present the results of the initiative and to promote discussion. The UNODC and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI) joined efforts to create a global forum to discuss methodology for the generation and analysis of crime statistics. On 22-24 May 2012 the first international conference on statistics government, public security, victimization and justice was organized in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The conference brought together about 400 people from 30 countries from national statistical offices, national police and criminal justice institutions, research institutes, and international organizations. The speakers discussed the need to collect, disseminate and analyze reliable, scientific, and standardized data to support the design, monitoring and evaluation of programmes to prevent and fight crime. The conference reviewed different data collection systems based on recorded crime (police, prosecution, court, and prison statistics) and victimization surveys (covering households and businesses). Discussions also focused on how emerging forms of crime such as organized crime,

corruption, and financial crime can pants included senior decisionbe better measured. makers and practitioners from the ICC and the other international The Conference was organized withcourts; States Parties; UN representin the activities of the UNODC-INEGI atives; donors; academics; and womCenter of Excellence in Statistical ens rights and justice actors from Information on Government, Public communities affected by armed conSecurity, Victimization and Justice flicts under ICC investigation. based in Mexico City. The Center focuses on strengthening processes UN Women in partnership with Jusof statistics production and analysis tice Rapid Response and the Instion subjects regarding government, tute for International Criminal Invespublic security, crime, victimization tigations (IICI) is currently hosting a and justice mainly in Latin America. second training course on This is achieved through the supply Investigating Cases of Sexual and of tools for data collection and analy- Gender-based Violence as Internasis, organization of training seminars, tional Crimes. The goal of the traincreation of statistical knowledge, ings is to increase the pool of experts promotion of methodology and in- that can be rapidly deployed to lead ternational standards as well as the and participate in investigations into development of research publica- conflict-related gender-based crimes. tions. These trained experts will become part of the Justice Rapid Response UN WOMEN roster and will be available for rapid UN Women in partnership with the deployment by states, as well as the Womens Initiatives for Gender Jus- UN and other international institutice convened a symposium entitled tions with the jurisdiction to carry Strengthening Gender Justice out such investigations. The first through International Prosecu- course took place in The Hague the th tions, 6-7 September 2012, in The week of September 10 . Hague, The Netherlands. 2012 marks the 10 year anniversary of the Rome Statute entering into force. The ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and the Special Court for Sierra Leone are in the final stages of their mandates and the International Criminal Court has just appointed a new chief Prosecutor. The Symposium evaluated and reflected upon the challenges, progress and lessons learned in delivering international justice from the perspective of multiple stakeholders and considered the achievements and challenges in prosecuting gender -based crimes and to making justice accessible for, and enabling the participation of, victims/survivors. More broadly, the Symposium examined the legacy of this field to date from a gender justice perspective. ParticiThe Training Courses are conducted by the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI) and consist of a 5 day training covering issues including international criminal law; sexual and gender based crimes in the context of international humanitarian law; sexual and gender based crimes as part of investigation planning and as part of truth-seeking mechanisms; approaches to these crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other international justice mechanisms; witness trauma and witness management, protection, and psychosocial support; and interviewing skills.

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High-level Meeting on the Rule of Law, 24 September 2012

The Declaration acknowledges the many pledges received, aimed at strengthening the rule of law, and encourages more pledges to be made in the future. The number of pledges received was beyond expectations. The 40 Member States and Observers Heads of State and Government that used the occasion of the meeting adopted a Declaration on the rule of to make over 250 pledges are: law, reaching a common understandArgentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, ing on definitional elements as well as Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech setting out the full scope of the rule of Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, law, from the peaceful settlement of France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, international disputes to providing Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liberia, justice for vulnerable groups. The Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Maldives, Declaration stressed the interMexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, relationship between the rule of A view of the presidential podium of the GA Hall as the Secre- Norway, Romania, Peru, tary-General (left) addresses the High-level Meeting on the law and the three pillars of the Rule of Law. Also shown: Vuk Jeremi (centre), President of the Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, UN: peace and security, devel- 67th Session. 24 September 2012 , UN Photo/Rick Bajornas Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, opment and human rights. Thailand, the United States of of the United Nations, the Declaration America, Uruguay, the European Underscoring this, the Declaration requests that the Secretary-General, Union and the International requests that the rule of law be conwith wide stakeholder participation, Development Law Organization. The sidered in the post-2015 development to submit a report to the General As- submitted pledges can befound at: agenda. In order to further develop sembly on ways and means of doing www.unrol.org. the linkages between the three pillars so. The High-level Meeting of the 67th Session of the General Assembly on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels took place at the UN Headquarters in New York on 24 September 2012.

United Nations to help extend legal aid in the criminal justice system
In justice matters, access to legal aid can tip the balance significantly; in some cases it can be a matter of life and death. Every person going though a criminal trial - not only the accused but also victims of crime needs access to legal information and legal assistance in order to know and attain his or her rights. Recognizing this, the Economic and Social Council followed the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and adopted the first international instrument exclusively dedicated to legal aid: the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems, which has been approved by the General Assembly on December 20th 2012. The Commission recognized that legal aid is an essential element of a fair, humane and efficient criminal justice system that is based on the rule of law. It is the foundation for the enjoyment of other rights, including the right to a fair trial, and an important safeguard that ensures fundamental fairness and public trust in the criminal justice process. The United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems are aimed at ensuring that suspects, detainees, and accused and imprisoned persons have access to legal aid. The efficient provision of legal aid is also central to reducing pretrial detention, safeguarding the rights of victims, guaranteeing the best interests of children who come into contact with the criminal justice system and ensuring access to justice for the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. The Principles and Guidelines establish that States should consider the provision of legal aid as their responsibility and should put in place a comprehensive legal aid system that is accessible and effective, has a nationwide reach and is available to all without discrimination. The Principles and Guidelines were developed under the auspices of UNODC, with active contribution from UNDP, UNICEF, OHCHR and UN.

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Voices from the RoLCRG

Partners in law: Legal help leads to brighter futures for Tajikistans rural women
For Maksad Nodirova, 58, legal aid has meant more than a financial foothold in rural Tajikistan. It has helped her forge a path through trauma, disempowerment and loss and emerge both a breadwinner and businesswoman. This September, in the lead up to the UN General Assemblys first dedicated Highlevel Meeting on the rule of law, UN Women has been working to highlight the gains that follow when women are equally engaged in their countrys legal framework. The story of this Tajik grandmother and the UN Women programme that assisted her now a country-wide initiative funded by the government brings this potential home. children. Another was soon divorced by her husband and moved home with her two children, believing that she had no access to alimony or housing rights. Following the advice of a neighbour, Maksad first sought out her local District Task Force (DTF) in 2008. Developed from a small pilot cluster of centres in 2003 by the Committee on Women and Family Affairs, an NGO, with the support of the govtive farm, they gave her advice on how to register it as her own. Through DTF seminars and trainings she learned how to better cultivate crops and manage the land. Today Maksad is one of 500 women DTF clients who run their own farms. She produces two harvests each year and has provided each of her working family members with jobs and stable incomes. We only buy meat, sugar, some fruit and sweets, says Rahima, one of her daughters. We sell vegetables grown in our farm in central market, and from this income we cover other farms expenses. She recently bought the family their first car. And life continues to look up for the family. Earlier this month Maksad was told by a DTF lawyer that the state will financially contribute to the care of her orphaned grandchildren. I am one of those women who has started to believe in life again, she says.

ernment and UN Women, the task force is one of 72 centres across the country that dispense free advice on issues from family law, civic codes and land rights, to social protection. As a mother of five and wife of an ill Over 70% of its clients are women in husband, Maksad had worked on rural areas. The task forces, now state-run with collective farms for much of her life. Maksad emerged from her first ap- UN Women support, report a 70 per She married and became a mother pointment with a newfound interest cent success rate for their clients, on at 16, arranging the same for her in Tajikistans legal system, and a average. As they branch farther into two eldest daughters when she newfound faith in her ability to use remote or rural neighbourhoods, couldnt pay for their further educa- it. Over the next four years, task they will continue to ensure that tion. Yet her burden was eased only force lawyers guided her through more women understand the law as briefly. Within five years her eldest the legalities of guardianship and it can be, a path to independence daughter had died, leaving Maksad boarding schools fees. When she and empowerment. with the care of three young grand- was allocated a hectare of a collec-

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The UNs new institutional arrangements in the Rule of Law

(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 composition of the RolCRG will be reviewed, and entities such as the The RoLCRG continues to be World Bank may be invited to join. chaired by the Deputy SecretaryThe decision of the Policy ComGeneral, who is also responsible mittee also reinforced the role of for leading the UN system as a UN field leadership to lead a diawhole on matters related to the logue with national counterparts rule of law, as well as being the on strengthening the rule of law, primary interlocutor with Member and to coordinate UN entities inStates and other external actors on country working on rule of law strategic issues of system-wide issues. Implementation of specific relevance. As a result of Septemprogrammes remains squarely bers Policy Committee decision, with the individual UN entities. the RoLCRGs strategic role has This new approach replaces the been strengthened, and it is reprevious system of lead UN entisponsible for discussing strategic ties, empowered to coordinate the challenges, agreeing on broad, UN system on specific thematic system-wide directions and ensurissues. ing as strategic approach by the Organization on the rule of law. Operational support to field leadMembers of the RoLCRG are the ership and to individual entities principals of the Department of working in post-conflict and other Political Affairs (DPA), the Depart- crisis situations in the police, jusment of Peacekeeping Operations tice and correction areas of the 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 (RoLCRG). The institutional arrangements around the rule of law, including the mandate of the RoLCRG were recently reviewed and amended by the Policy Committee in September 2012. rule of law will be provided by DPKO and UNDP through the newly constituted Global Focal Point arrangement. This arrangement will provide timely and quality police, justice and corrections assistance in terms of global knowledge, people and advice on assessments, planning, funding and partnership, and will commit to transparent, country-driven measurement of this service. Aside from strategic planning in the rule of law area, and strengthening the UN systems dialogue with Member States and other external partners on rule of law issues, the RoLCRG will continue to maintain a clearing house of information about who in the UN system provides what rule of law assistance as an information resource for those inside and outside the UN system, as well as acting as a repository for UN system rule of law materials and best practices. The RoLCRG will also be looking to mobilize resources for UN rule of law activities. The Deputy Secretary-General and the RoLCRG are supported by the Rule of Law Unit, located in the Executive Office of the SecretaryGeneral.

Rule of Law Unit Executive Office of the Secretary-General SecretaryUnited Nations Headquarters First Avenue at 46th Street New York, NY 10017 USA

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