Across the world, communities are facing conflict, fragility and deep uncertainty. Yet even in the hardest places, people continue to seek justice, protection and accountability. In 2025, UNDP worked with national and local partners to strengthen the rule of law, advance human rights and support institutions that can serve people when they need them most.
The past year showed how severe those pressures can be. Armed conflict remained at historic levels, with the highest number of state-based conflicts recorded since the mid-1940s. People fled their homes, often leaving land, property and identity documents behind. Families were separated. Services disappeared, and protection needs grew.
For UNDP, these realities cannot wait. Rule of law, human rights and justice are not separate from crisis response; they are part of it. They help people stay safe, claim their rights and begin to recover with dignity. The Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development (the Global Programme) has been UNDP’s main vehicle for this work.
I am grateful to the governments of Austria, the European Union, Finland, Generalitat Valenciana, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States for their generous support to the Global Programme. In 2025, the Global Programme completed its fourth phase. This report takes stock of what sustained investment in rule of law, human rights, justice and security can achieve, even in the most volatile settings.
Across countries, especially those in crisis and fragility contexts, millions of people gained access to justice and human rights support. Police and communities worked together to make neighbourhoods safer. Businesses adopted more responsible practices and found ways to support stability during crisis. Human rights commitments became practical tools for protection and action.
In Yemen, more than 100 women paralegals showed what people-centred justice can look like. Working outside of formal courts, but rooted in trust, ethics and their communities, they helped resolve nearly 3,000 disputes in Aden and Mukalla. Women made up 70 percent of those who sought help. The lesson is clear: even where crisis has weakened institutions, justice can move forward when it starts with people’s needs and rights.
In Ukraine, UNDP support helped strengthen responses to human rights violations and gave more people a path to seek accountability. In Somalia, Local Police Partnership Boards are building trust between communities and law enforcement, helping to lay the ground for stronger security. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, digital tools improved transparency and protection, while mobile courts delivered justice to hundreds of people with legal representation.
Partnerships help us do more, especially under the pressure of crisis. The Global Programme has provided a platform for strong partnerships across the United Nations system and beyond. Through the UNDP-UN Women Gender Justice Platform, more than 900,000 people received legal aid in conflict and fragile settings. Through the UN Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law, UN expertise was mobilized to address justice and security challenges in places such as the Central African Republic and Haiti.
The Global Programme is expanding as it enters its fifth phase in 2026 with a clear message: crisis is not a reason to delay investment in the rule of law. It is the reason to deepen it. Stronger investment, deeper local roots and closer links between justice, security and human rights are foundations for lasting peace.
Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator,
Director, Crisis Bureau, UNDP
