Innovation
Innovation is becoming a core ingredient in how UNDP carries out its mandate. The ambitious aims of the 2030 Agenda have pushed us to recognize that we need to take more risks and be open to bold experimentation if we hope to help achieve systems-level change. Through the Global Programme, we support people-centred and innovative justice solutions, recognizing that empowering communities themselves to innovate is the best way to ensure that our efforts are sustainable. Whether through the deployment of mobile courts, app-based case management systems, or social cohesion projects informed by behavioral insights–we co-design our projects with our beneficiaries whenever possible. We are now working to bring these local innovations to scale and to take full advantage of the opportunities that technology brings in achieving access to justice for all.
The four-year conflict in Eastern Ukraine displaced an estimated 1.5 million people and increased pressure on the justice and security sectors to deliver services to the population, including for prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Both SGBV survivors and internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to face challenges in accessing information and advisory services to enable justice and reintegration. To help fill this gap, UNDP in Ukraine developed a mobile application - Your Rights (Tvoe Pravo) - to provide easy-to-read information related to the rights of IDPs and SGBV survivors as well as trial related rights and civil process.
The app generates practical solutions and legal pathways for IDPs and SGBV survivors to restore their rights and receive redress. It is available for free downloading for iOS and Android systems and does not need the internet to operate. By answering a series of questions in the app, a user will receive advice and step-by-step guidance on what to do given their situation. In addition, users are provided with contact information for state and non-governmental organizations that can provide free legal assistance. The app also contains explanations of unclear legal terms, functions of respective state authorities, requirements for procedural documents, rights and obligations of parties during court proceedings, rules of conduct in court, and links to relevant legislative acts.
In 2018, the app was downloaded by 1,246 people and UNDP is currently working to develop a communications strategy to raise awareness of the app. The app is also being revised to improve user-interface, expand functionality via a 24/7 legal aid hotline, and add more sections on other topics related to the conflict in Ukraine. Looking forward, UNDP is exploring the potential scalability of the app in order to build upon its success in other conflict-related contexts.
