Criminal Justice Capacity Building
Afghanistan suffers from a dearth of criminal justice capacity due to years of conflict, which ended the rule of law and destroyed judicial infrastructure
Since the end of Taliban rule, an absence of judicial training facilities and limited numbers of competent judicial personnel means that the judicial system of Afghanistan must be virtually rebuilt entirely. A lack of communication and coordination among institutions and rampant corruption compound these problems, creating a situation which can only be remedied by addressing the needs of both facilities and individual judicial actors at the same time.
UNODC now adopts a comprehensive "software and hardware" approach, where infrastructure improvements go hand-in-hand with the revision and development of laws crucial to the strengthening of the criminal justice system. A particular focus is given on the mandated areas of UNODC, including counter-narcotics, terrorism, trafficking in human beings, and legal aid/access to justice and juvenile justice. Capacity is built in these areas through the training of relevant personnel. Provincial outreach is an important element in this new approach; pursued by constructing Justice Support Centres (JSCs) for selected provinces, and conducting capacity building training for legal professionals and legal staff.
UNODC's areas of intervention:
- Support to the legislative reform process by providing support to national institutions as co-chair of the Criminal Law Committee of the Law Reform Working Group (CLRWG), a permanent consultative process involving Afghan institutions and international experts.
- Strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan to fight terrorism through the development of training and mentoring programmes for law enforcement personnel involved in the investigation and adjudication of terrorism offences.
- Establish international judicial cooperation in criminal matters through technical workshops and training sessions for prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement on mutual legal assistance, and supporting the establishment of a central authority responsible to deal with international judicial cooperation in criminal matters, and extradition.
- Reform of the Juvenile Justice System through a series of capacity building activities, including fostering the implementation of the Afghan Juvenile Code, developing relevant training programmes, organizing study tours for judicial personnel, and improving the management of juvenile facilities.
- Measures to prevent and combat trafficking in persons in Afghanistan through the creation of a comprehensive legal framework and an effective institutional structure to prevent and combat human trafficking in Afghanistan.
Current Project
