UNITED NATIONS COMMITTED TO MORE EFFECTIVE SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL EFFORTS

TO STRENGTHEN RULE OF LAW, SAYS DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL

 

Following are Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s remarks at a panel discussion on “Harmonizing United Nations Action on the Rule of Law” in New York, 11 June:

I am delighted to join you for this panel discussion on a United Nations approach to rule of law assistance.  Let me begin by thanking Her Excellency Kirsti Lintonen, Permanent Representative of Finland, and her leadership for partnering with the United Nations Rule of Law Unit to organize this discussion.  I am also grateful to all our distinguished panellists for taking the time to participate.

As you all know, the United Nations work in the field of rule of law has expanded significantly in recent years, though this expansion remains inadequate to address the current needs of Member States.  Today, we have more than a dozen departments and agencies developing various rule of law activities and programmes within their respective mandates, ranging broadly from strengthening police services to supporting constitutional processes.  The growth is a welcome development, but it has necessitated far greater system-wide coherence in coordinating these diverse activities.

The Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on the rule of law represents a much needed step in this direction.  The Note reaffirms the normative basis for United Nations rule of law engagement.  It also stresses that the United Nations primary role is that of a facilitator.  We are charged with supporting national efforts to formulate plans to strengthen the rule of law and to secure sustainable justice at the country level.

The biggest challenge before the United Nations family is to implement this policy.  We will hear today from several departments and agencies on the integration of this approach into their existing activities.

For now, I will simply highlight the four basic steps identified by the Secretary-General that drive this approach.  According to his Note, we must:

-- identify rule of law challenges in close collaboration with national stakeholders;

-- support the development of a comprehensive rule of law strategy based on these assessments;

-- formulate a joint rule of law programme guided by this strategy; and

-- clearly assign implementation responsibilities and ensure accountability.

Beyond better implementation, we also need to ensure a comprehensive effort designed to empower national stakeholders.  Genuine national ownership is key to any effective and lasting rule of law regime.  That is why we must help our national partners develop their own vision, agenda and approaches to rule of law reform and programmes.

Our third challenge is the need to constantly monitor this approach and to evaluate the assistance provided.  Unfortunately, previous rule of law projects were frequently conceived without proper methods to evaluate their impact on institutions or on society at large.  This is no longer acceptable.

From now on, we must always seek to empirically analyse and assess the effectiveness of our activities -- including by ascertaining the needs and level of operation of police, justice and prison institutions, at the request of host countries.

I have offered a brief overview of the challenges facing the United Nations system in improving our rule of law work.  I expect our panellists will expand and develop some of the themes I have touched upon.  But the overarching message I wish to leave you with is this: all of us at the United Nations recognize the importance of its rule of law work, and we are committed to delivering more effectively in this area.

Today’s panel reflects our commitment -- it is the first in a series of discussions designed to explore implementation of the United Nations new approach.  I thank you all for participating in this inaugural panel and wish you a fruitful, frank and dynamic exchange.

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For information media • not an official record