In 2023, overlapping crises strained established democracies and the rule of law while courts emerged as pivotal arenas for climate action. In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and beyond, civilians, especially women and children, bore the brunt of the highest number of conflicts worldwide in nearly 80 years. Yet in development -- powered by the rule of law, justice, and human rights -- our global community possesses perhaps its most compelling ‘exit strategy’ from conflict, crisis, and uncertainty.
This principle underpins the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development, which continued to drive life-changing results across the world. This report tells their stories. As of 2023, UNDP’s efforts have helped to advance access to justice for a cumulative total of 90 million people. That included providing vital legal support to people living amidst crisis and conflict in countries such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and the State of Palestine.
The Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law, co-chaired by UNDP and the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO) continued to be a fulcrum for vital support across 11 fragile settings. That included the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Mali, and Somalia where our joint programmes contribute to people affected by conflicts having agency and voice in resolving local conflicts, shaping transitional justice processes, and building secure and peaceful communities.
Through our Tripartite partnership with the UN Human Rights Office and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), UNDP continued to support National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) which continue to be central to empowering individuals and communities to realise their rights, including in ongoing conflicts such as the war in Ukraine. The Gender Justice Platform, a global partnership between UNDP and UN Women that aims to close the stark global gender justice gap now extends to 31 countries globally. UNDP’s Global Business and Human Rights (B+HR) initiative is now active in 39 countries to promote responsible business practices, heightened human rights due diligence and corporate respect for the right to a healthy environment, especially in areas affected by conflicts and crises. As climate change intensifies, posing a major threat to human rights, UNDP has launched innovative environmental justice programming in countries including Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Viet Nam. It is strengthening the capacities of rule of law institutions and people to help safeguard the rights of the most vulnerable people and ensure that future generations inherit choices, not last resorts.
None of these results would have been possible without our partnerships: with governments, UN agencies, international actors, civil society, academia, and businesses. These strengthened links are reflected in UNDP’s co-hosting of the secretariat of the Justice Action Coalition with the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Justice, and Inclusive Societies and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). These partnerships strengthen our people-centered approaches in a world punctuated by crises. Indeed, UNDP’s 2023-24 Human Development Report notably calls for a re-framing of development as freedom from the crises now facing people and planet. It centres on the expansion of agency at the intersection of human development, human rights, and sustainability. To this end, UNDP is committed to empowering individuals and communities to realise their rights and advance the Global Goals through supporting responsive, inclusive and digitally-enabled institutions. This approach is fundamental to help break our global gridlock and ensure that people can be true agents in shaping the futures they want.