Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the security situation remains volatile, with continued conflict and an acute humanitarian crisis. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) remains high, despite the return of 1,010,136 people from 165,375 households with 697 places of origin, according to information provided by the Government in January 2025. In addition to distrust, access to justice is impeded by logistical and financial barriers, as well as insecurity and complexity of procedures. Due to the financial constraints that make it difficult to move to cities, rural women in particular face serious barriers in accessing justice, as the courts are located in cities.

In this context, UNDP’s Social Cohesion, Security and Rule of Law Programme (CoSED, 2019-2025) continued to facilitate access to justice in areas facing security challenges, strengthen national human rights institutions, security actors and civil society. In 2024, a new initiative under the CoSED Programme was designed, based on its mid-term assessment, to address the urgent justice needs of vulnerable and remote communities, as well as to develop the new programmatic framework for the rule of law portfolio in Burkina Faso. This new initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development.

To support IDPs, survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and communities affected by injustices, UNDP collaborated with the Ministry of Justice and Human rights, the Burkinabè Movement for Human and People's Rights (MBDHP), the Centre for Information and Training on Human Rights in Africa (CIFDHA), civil society and international partners. In cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and under the Sectoral Framework for Dialogue on Justice and Human Rights, UNDP convened partners for enhanced coordination on justice and human rights.

To improve the delivery of justice, the CoSED programme supported the revision of the Criminal Procedure Code, aiming to streamline case processing and reduce prison overcrowding. The reform ensures that defendants have timely access to justice. The programme also contributed to revising the law on judicial organization, aligning it with the updated Criminal Procedure Code. Key innovations include expanding the jurisdiction of district courts to cover labor, criminal and administrative matters, bringing justice services closer to communities.

To support internally displaced women who became victims of gender-based violence, the project, in synergy with other activities implemented under the CoSED framework, enabled psychosocial, legal and judicial support provided through legal clinics.

A strong partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) helped to identify cases requiring immediate assistance. Over 560 individuals, including 290 women, received legal aid services, while over 11,000 people benefited from awareness raising sessions.

The CoSED programme invested in building the skills of justice professionals. Forty judicial police officers, including seven women, were capacitated to better handle gender-based violence cases. The dedicated focal points provided support to 43 gender-based violence survivors, including 15 children.

In addition, 54 magistrates and court clerks were trained in managing complex cases, including those related to terrorism and financial crimes. The programme strengthened the capacity of 24 officers from eight district courts to improve public-facing and information services. Five Reception and Information Offices were equipped and served over 222,000 users, helping to reduce psychological barriers to accessing justice.

Under the overall framework of the CoSED programme, 14 mobile court hearings were organized, benefitting nearly 4,000 individuals, almost a quarter of whom were women. Over 4,400 legal documents were issued, including criminal records, nationality certificates and civil status rectifications. Three of these hearings were supported through the Global Programme. During these sessions, the presence of the magistrates enabled three civil servants in charge of land registry service and presidents of departmental courts to take oath and start delivering justice on the ground. Overall, the mobile court hearings improved access to justice, fostered trust in the judicial system and enhanced understanding of legal processes. With their new identity documents, individuals will become eligible for public services and will be able to travel around the country without restrictions. Notably, the mobile courts localities were selected in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and Human rights to maximize impact.

In addition, four criminal sessions were held in the Appeal Courts of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, enabling legal assistance for over 100 accused individuals, including seven women. These sessions contributed to reducing case backlogs and improving the efficiency of the criminal justice system.

Digital innovation for justice was one of the project priorities. Initially, UNDP planned to expand the system for electronic issuance of criminal records which was rolled out through the CoSED Programme in four pilot courts. In Burkina Faso, criminal records are necessary to obtain identification documents, access basic services or to apply for a job. Due to the pilot’s success, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights secured internal resources to expand the system to all 27 district courts. In 2024, the system served over 86,300 individuals, including almost 26,000 women. Given the expansion was completed nationally, UNDP worked with the IT department and the Minister to redirect the funds towards digitizing the delivery of nationality certificates, a critical document for Burkinabe citizenship, enabling access to ID cards, passports and employment. The system was piloted in four different courts.

1. On March 31, 2023, the country had 2,062,534 internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to statistics from the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CONASUR). Since then, new displacements have been reported due to security shocks, but official data are not available.

2. A multi-partner programme that brings together government institutions and civil society organizations coordinated by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.