On Nelson Mandela International Day, UNODC highlights the plight of prisoners and the continued need for prison reform
July 18, 2017

On Nelson Mandela International Day, UNODC highlights the plight of prisoners and the continued need for prison reform

Since 2010, the United Nations has celebrated today as Nelson Mandela International Day to recognize the birthday of South Africa's former President and his outstanding contribution to a culture of peace and freedom. For UNODC, Nelson Mandela International Day is also a time to draw attention to the more than 10 million prisoners worldwide as well as to the work of those entrusted with their safe, secure and humane custody.

With the memory of Nelson Mandela in mind, who himself had to spend 27 years of his life in prison, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners in December 2015 as 'the Nelson Mandela Rules'.

E4J call for proposals: funding for the development of non-electronic games
July 6, 2017

E4J call for proposals: funding for the development of non-electronic games

UNODC's Education for Justice (E4J) initiative is currently accepting applications for funding from institutions that are interested in creating non-electronic games to educate secondary level students (aged 13-18) on the issues of crime prevention, criminal justice and other rule  of law aspects. Civil society organizations , academic and/or research institutions may apply for a grant of up to USD 10,000. Applicants from any region of the world may apply. The resources shall be used by the successful candidates for the development and testing of non-electronic games and should involve secondary level students as well as educators in the process. The deadline for submission of proposals is  6 August 2017.

#Hack4Justice: Africa Teen Geeks & United Nations Partner to Reduce Crime
June 30, 2017

#Hack4Justice: Africa Teen Geeks & United Nations Partner to Reduce Crime

Under the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative of UNODC, the Office and Africa Teen Geeks have established a partnership to host a Hackathon at the end of July: #Hack4Justice. It will in particular challenge African youth at the secondary level to develop mobile and online games and apps dealing with crime issues in South Africa. The young participants will use their coding skills to teach people how to act as good citizens, steer clear of getting involved in criminal activities and avoid becoming victims of corruption or violence.

Series of commitments in Latin America highlight support among judiciary for UNODC’s upcoming Global Judicial Integrity Network
June 28, 2017

Series of commitments in Latin America highlight support among judiciary for UNODC's upcoming Global Judicial Integrity Network

Recent months have seen wide support from among senior judges in Latin America for the forthcoming  Global Judicial Integrity Network . Part of UNODC's  Doha Declaration Global Programme , the Network will assist judiciaries across the globe in strengthening judicial integrity and preventing corruption in the justice sector, in line with Article 11 of the  United Nations Convention against Corruption .  In June, Presidents and Judges of Constitutional Courts of Latin America gathered for their XXIII Annual Meeting in Brasilia, Brazil . Issues discussed included judicial ethics, the role of Constitutional Courts in tackling corruption, human trafficking, and fundamental rights, Constitution and economy.

UNODC and Kyrgyzstan team-up to promote sports for youth crime prevention
June 22, 2017

UNODC and Kyrgyzstan team-up to promote sports for youth crime prevention

In mid-June, UNODC experts met with a range of Government officials and non-state actors in Kyrgyzstan to explore ways to expand cooperation in tackling crime and drug use through using sports. The meetings, held in the capital Bishkek, were an important step towards rolling-out UNODC's global initiative which aims to prevent delinquency among at-risk youth as part of the Doha Declaration Global Programme as well as the Office's 2015-2019 Regional Programme for Central Asia. The initiative focuses on sports to build resilience of youth by enhancing their life skills and increasing their knowledge of the consequences of crime and drug use.