The Global Judicial Integrity Network website: a diverse and useful resource

17 May 2018 - Since its launch on 9 April, the website of the Global Judicial Integrity Network - www.unodc.org/ji - has been welcoming a growing number of interested visitors who, as professionals in the judicial field, are entitled to become participants in this exclusive Network to enjoy additional benefits.

The website is a hub for all information related to the Network, taking on board the recommendations from seven preparatory meetings and feedback from a substantive online survey, taken by over 1,000 judges and judicial professionals. Its design ensures visitors have easy access to different sections, such as news stories about interesting and relevant events and activities (including details about upcoming and past ones), and an opinion section where judges can write and provide different views on pertinent issues related to judicial integrity and the activities of the Network.

A key feature of the website is its unique online resource database, containing hundreds of searchable research and analysis papers, policy documents, legal documents, codes of judicial conduct, guidelines and standards. It also provides an abundance of resource materials, including training materials and other tools.

This database can be browsed by document type, by country, or by full text search, making it a comprehensive immediate resource for judges, lawyers, researchers and other interested parties in the field. Whether it is to search for a specific document, or to learn about a broader topic, the website allows users to access and to download the relevant resources.

The Network's website and database are an evolving tool, meant to continue adding resources and learning tools over time, with the contributions from participants, making it a truly global and varied collection.

While these sections are publicly available to everyone, the Network's website also features a restricted area accessible only to registered participants. Once they have created an account, participants can post queries, ask questions on issues of judicial integrity, and seek advice from peers. All registered participants will be able to view these questions and answers, as well as the contacts database which aims at promoting peer-to-peer assistance and direct contact between them. The database of contacts is searchable by name, institution and country.

The value of this database will of course increase exponentially as the number of resources it contains grows; all judges and judicial professionals are encouraged to contribute legal documents and to join the Network by creating an account, thereby ensuring it remains a truly global judicial integrity network.