14 May 2018 - Two years after it was launched and half-way into its projected life span, the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration has already scored successes in several fields of activity and benefited people in numerous countries around the world. With far-reaching initiatives having already been launched to great acclaim, including the Global Judicial Integrity Network and the video game, 'Chuka, Break the Silence' in the last quarter alone, the Global Programme has covered a variety of disciplines and established thematic components falling under UNODC's mandate.
Since coming into effect in March 2016 for a projected period of four years, the Global Programme has been committed to four main goals: contributing globally to integrity and accountability in the criminal justice system; the rehabilitation and social reintegration of prisoners; the promotion of a culture of lawfulness amongst children and youth through sports; and the integration of crime prevention, criminal justice and rule of law related aspects into the educational system.
Today, over 14,000 stakeholders in more than 180 countries have been directly reached by the Global Programme. 23 countries have received direct, targeted technical assistance and over 5,400 stakeholders from 167 countries have been assisted in capacity building. In the last two years, the Global Programme has held over 60 events, such as workshops, expert group meetings, training events, conferences and launches of products developed by its dedicated team.
The importance of these initiatives has been recognized in numerous areas. The Human Rights Council, in its Resolution 35/25, noted "with appreciation the capacity-building activities and specialized curricula developed" by the Global Programme. Likewise, the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, in Resolution 7/6, welcomed "the work under the Global Programme," as did the UN Secretary-General in his remarks to the General Assembly's 72 nd session, noting "the Assembly welcomed the follow-up to the implementation of the Doha Declaration." As UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov stated in his report to the 26 th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Global Programme has served as a catalyst and a resource to help Member States in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Global Programme's achievements are best understood through a glance at the different activities being undertaken.
For the Judicial Integrity component, two years of hard work have culminated in the creation of the Global Judicial Integrity Network, launched this April in the presence of over 350 judicial professionals and experts, including 35 Chief Justices, over 100 senior judges and 40 judicial associations, who adopted by acclamation the Network's Terms of Reference and Declaration. The Network aims to assist judiciaries across the world in upholding the highest standards of integrity and independence, and in building public trust and confidence in judicial institutions. The intention is to provide a platform of judges, for judges, to share good practices, learn from and support each other, and join forces in the development of new practical tools and guidance on strengthening integrity and preventing corruption in the justice system. Through its online library, the Network already facilitates access to thousands of legal and judicial resources related to the strengthening of judicial integrity, including several UNODC knowledge products, and it is in the process of launching a Judicial Ethics Training Package.
The Global Programme's Education for Justice (E4J) initiative aims to enhance teaching on the rule of law from the earliest to the most advanced stages of education, by developing special educational tools and materials to assist teachers at the primary, secondary and tertiary educational levels in imparting values, skills and knowledge to children and youth. UNODC has partnered with UNESCO, civil society organizations and academia, with over 200 universities involved in the development and dissemination of material so far.
A number of products are already impacting youngsters at the primary level: 'The Zorbs' cartoon series is promoting values such as acceptance, fairness, integrity and respect; the 'Chuka' video game is empowering young girls against gender-based violence; and 'The Online Zoo' book is teaching children about Internet safety.
At the secondary level, the Global Programme has launched a Model UN Guide addressing crime prevention, criminal justice and other aspects of rule of law, with an MUN training taking place in Vienna this month. The initiative is also currently working with ten NGOs and educational institutions to develop non-electronic games on these issues, and will launch a mobile app on integrity later this year.
Digging deeper at the tertiary level, the Global Programme has developed teaching modules for university lecturers in the areas of corruption, integrity and ethics, organized crime, terrorism, cybercrime, criminal justice and crime prevention, firearms, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
With the inspiring and popular 'Line Up, Live Up' initiative, the Global Programme is promoting a sports-based approach to enhance the resilience of at-risk youth against crime, violence and drugs. The training curriculum has been piloted in four countries and has engaged 53 sport facilities and schools, with 180 coaches training more than 1,200 young people so far. At least five more countries are expected to join the project this year, and community-based organizations are increasingly taking part in small grant schemes to use sports for prevention.
Last, but certainly not least, in order to better support the rehabilitation and social reintegration of prisoners, the Global Programme has developed and provided technical guidance through two key knowledge products for practitioners: a Roadmap on the Development of Prison-Based Rehabilitation Programmes, and a Handbook on Anti-Corruption Measures in Prisons. Nine countries have already been directly supported to improve their prisoners' rehabilitation, and over 300 prison practitioners from 49 countries were trained on good practices in this field. The component is further expected to launch a set of activities aimed at providing global support to national brands of prison products and prisoner rehabilitation programmes. With these initiatives, the Global Programme is working with Member States to improve the rehabilitation and reduce the recidivism of prisoners around the world, through viable work programmes.
The wide reach of the Global Programme's various initiatives at this two-year milestone is a clear indication that strengthening the rule of law and promoting a culture of lawfulness are achievable aspirations, and a testament to the powerful impact of a comprehensive approach which will still benefit thousands over the next two years.
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