Rule of Law and Human
Rights Global Programme
Impact
Thematic focus
 = Global Focal Point

Africa

Arab states

Asia-Pacific

Europe and Central Asia

Latin America and the Caribbean

Justice Futures CoLab

The Justice Futures CoLab was launched to promote new ways of thinking and approaching complex justice and rule of law challenges. The CoLab illustrates UNDP’s commitment and strategy to do more and do better (and differently). A more strategic, people-centred and rights-based approach is taken to ensure meaningful access to justice for all, starting with those most at risk of being left behind.

Human rights systems

UNDP continues to support strengthening national human rights systems (NHRIs). Independent, effective and pluralistic NHRIs are cornerstones of national systems to promote and protect human rights.

Anti-racism

In 2021, after racial justice protests and movements emerged in the United States and other parts of the world, the United Nations and its various funds, programmes and other entities also took up a renewed commitment to fight against racism and racial discrimination both within the organization and also through their approaches.

Business and human rights

UNDP has been supporting the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) since 2016. This support has involved programming across the three pillars of the protect, respect and remedy framework, engaging with states, business actors and civil society.

Community security

The global context has become ever more challenging with ongoing war, coups d‘état, attempted coups d‘état, turmoil and instability in several countries. In the midst of such widespread political tension and fragility, UNDP has stayed the course towards people-centred security by promoting solutions that strengthen state institutions in line with people’s needs.

Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law

The UN Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law (GFP) is a joint arrangement for delivery of the rule of law in fragile settings. Co-chaired by UNDP and the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO), GFP reinforces One-UN approach at the global and national levels to address violent conflicts, protect human rights and restore justice and security for people affected by crisis and conflict.

Regional overview - Africa

Burundi

Impact by Regions,
Countries & Territories
Africa

In Burundi, UNDP focused on the improvement of people’s equal access to justice services, including for women and men of all ages and those from vulnerable groups. UNDP’s Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development (the Global Programme) aimed at contributing to legal empowerment and access to critical legal and judicial information, especially targeting women, through the establishment and operationalization of the radio station “Radio Justice”. It also contributed to improving the rights of prisoners through support to the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the General Prosecutor.

lessons learned

During the establishment of the radio station, a number of bottlenecks arose, such as prolonged procurement processes and the mismatch in fiscal years that hampered the effective ownership by the Ministry of Justice. When implementing such programmes, UNDP should consider putting in place appropriate operational and sustainability strategies.

Partnerships

To effectively implement its initiative to ensure comprehensive monitoring of detention facilities in Burundi, UNDP established new partnerships with two key national stakeholders: the National Independent Commission for Human Rights (NICHR) and the Office of the General Prosecutor. Prior to this, UNDP’s key partner in human rights projects was the Ministry of Justice.

This new engagement has not only led to the achievement of better results in protecting the rights of detainees, but has also enabled effective collaboration between the national stakeholders with intersecting mandates: the Ministry of Justice, the NICHR and the Office of the General Prosecutor. This partnership has already been analysed and replicated to design a new joint UN human rights project under which UNDP will work together with UNICEF, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR), the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), UNESCO and UN Women.

The project is being finalized by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) in Burundi. Several donor partners have expressed their interest in the initiative.

At the end of 2022, UNDP mobilized media experts and justice practitioners to develop the content for the radio programme and define the financial and staffing needs for the operationalization of “Radio Justice”. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) committed to a sustainability strategy, following the launch of the procurement process for the required equipment.

In 2022, UNDP supported the General Inspection of the MoJ and the Office of the General Prosecutor to conduct joint control and monitoring of prisons and detention centres, including prisons/quarters for women. As a result of their advocacy and legal assistance provided to imprisoned or detained individuals, over 900 people (including 97 women and nine teenagers) were released.

In addition, UNDP strengthened the NICHR capacities to monitor penitentiary institutions and investigate human rights violations in prisons and detention centres, including gender-based violence. In 2022, the NICHR conducted 258 monitoring missions in 11 penitentiary institutions and 119 detention centres. Its advocacy efforts facilitated the release of 538 individuals (including 92 women and 90 teenagers). Furthermore, 177 people (including 21 women) were released due to the legal aid services provided by the NICHR during the pre-trial phase.

For the first time since 2015, the national human rights institution scrutinized human rights violations perpetrated by the police. UNDP’s support to the NICHR has also contributed to raising public awareness on human rights violations and to public appeals to the Government to improve the situation.

In total, all the monitoring missions conducted by the NICHR, the MoJ and the Office of the General Prosecutor facilitated the release of 18.2 percent of detainees whose cases were monitored. In most of these cases, detention was illegal and/or disproportionate to the offense. Pregnant or breastfeeding women were among those released.

To assess the effectiveness of the monitoring visits and to measure the level of satisfaction of the beneficiaries, UNDP monitoring and evaluation specialists in Burundi interviewed the released individuals on their assessment of the judiciary services. Testimonies were recorded in a short video: “I’m very grateful to UNDP and to the President of the Republic because I have been released only after two months of detention, and will return in my family and resume my job because the legal period to be fired was not yet over.

“Thanks to this UNDP initiative, my case was treated and completed in less than one month period, whereas normally, for such a cases, even my grandchildren would inherit the problem”.

Innovation

UNDP’s cooperation with the national authorities and its support to the release of illegally detained individuals incentivized the Ministry of Justice to develop and finalize the national strategy on alternative sanctions, this will promote and enable alternatives to detention. This innovative step will allow the reduction of the prison population and improve the overall human rights situation of the detainees in Burundi.

Key
results
  • UNDP support to reinforcing the monitoring capacities of the NICHR, the MoJ and the Office of the General Prosecutor contributed to strengthening human rights conditions in prisons and detention centres, leading to the release of 18.2 percent of detainees whose cases were monitored.
  • The Ministry of Justice approved the strategic plan and adopted a sustainability strategy for “Radio Justice”. The elaboration of the content for the radio programme has paved the way for its opening in 2023.
  • UNDP’s extended partnership with national stakeholders has reinforced ownership and is now being used as best practice in the development of a new joint UN human rights project by the UN Country Team in Burundi.

  1. A woman detainee who has been released thanks to UNDP support (Video).

  2. A man whose case was handled and completed very quickly (Video).