The effectiveness of any judiciary depends upon its perceived legitimacy, especially in the eyes of the public. This perception requires not only that the judges uphold the highest standards of integrity and independence, but also that states respect judicial independence and do not undermine judicial decisions.
A successful judiciary is one whose members are appointed following a rigorous process assessing both the candidate's legal qualifications as well as integrity. Different countries' constitutions and other laws provide for different requirements, but it is crucial that only the best people are appointed to judicial positions. Judiciaries should not be politicized - this means that ruling parties should not appoint judges who will be answerable to them and not to the constitution and members of the public.
Established in 2016, the International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award is designed to showcase creative and outstanding achievements of anti-corruption projects from across the globe and publicly acknowledge these exceptional efforts.
Awarded by the Rule Of Law and Anti-Corruption Center (ROLACC), and presented in support of the anti-corruption mandate of UNODC, the initiative promotes the importance of tackling corruption and encourages the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Submissions close 5 September 2018 and more details on the award and nomination process can be found at www.aceaward.com.
In the latest edition of the magazine 'Justice Trends', UNODC's Dimitri Vlassis - Chief of the organization's Corruption and Economic Crime Branch - provides his insights into the workings of the 13th UN Crime Congress held in Qatar in 2015, and the resultant Doha Declaration which emerged from this important gathering.
In this wide-ranging interview, Mr. Vlassis discusses UNODC's Global Programme - the first time that such an implementation initiative has emerged from a Crime Congress to provide support to countries to put into practice the Doha Declaration's commitments.
Every initiative undertaken by UNODC and the entire United Nations family aims to spread equality throughout the world. For a fair, peaceful and just global community, and to achieve SDG 16 for which UNODC works continuously (peace, justice and strong institutions), men and women must be equal in all aspects of work and life.
Redressing gender inequalities is at the core of UNODC's Strategy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and a goal shared by the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration as it works to promote a culture of lawfulness around the world, providing education and training and supporting the full participation of women in every professional sphere.
Since its launch in April, the website of the Global Judicial Integrity Network 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, 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.
