Views

This section contains opinion pieces written by Global Judicial Integrity Network participants, who are members of judiciaries worldwide. The pieces focus on the personal opinions and experiences of these external experts on issues related to judicial integrity. All opinion pieces written in 2018-2019 have been compiled in one review journal, available here. To read a selection of the articles in other UN languages, please select the language from the navigation bar at the top of the page. Please click here for Portuguese and Korean.

Please note that all opinions expressed in this section of the website are the opinions of the authors, who are external experts, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of UNODC. 

 

Access to Information and Justice in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the Defence of Human Rights during the Pandemic
July 30, 2021

Access to Information and Justice in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the Defence of Human Rights during the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed new and severe challenges for the defence of human rights, affecting especially the most vulnerable groups of people and revealing the profound inequality of the world in which we live.

Latin America is one of the most unequal areas on the planet, and, therefore, the impact of the pandemic has placed human rights severely at risk. For instance, millions of people are left with no daily sustenance to survive or healthcare, and children's access to the right to education now depends exclusively on their internet connection.

The Russian Judiciary in the Pandemic
June 18, 2021

The Russian Judiciary in the Pandemic

Much has happened in 2020, and the novel coronavirus pandemic was the main change that caused a major restructuring of social life. Social and political institutions and, of course, the judicial system were forced to swiftly adjust the ways in which they worked, and the life, health and safety of every person became the main criteria and values that guided them. During that whole period, the court system never halted its activities and continued administering justice at a high level while meeting the requirements of reasonable time of proceedings.

Access to Justice in Relation to COVID-19: A Norwegian Perspective on an Issue of Judicial Integrity
April 19, 2021

Access to Justice in Relation to COVID-19: A Norwegian Perspective on an Issue of Judicial Integrity 

On 12 March 2020, the Norwegian Government implemented the strictest and most invasive measures ever introduced in Norway in peacetime in the hopes of stopping or slowing down the spread of COVID-19 infections. The courts quickly had to address how best to handle their role in society in a prudent manner. It was quickly realized that something had to be done to find alternatives to physical court sessions. For most court cases, alternative ways for processing the cases were considered: either in writing, as remote sessions or as a combination of both.  

 

Florida’s Judicial Qualifications Commission: Holding Judges Accountable
March 16, 2021

Florida's Judicial Qualifications Commission: Holding Judges Accountable

Florida's official nickname is "The Sunshine State" because of its warm weather throughout the year, but to those who work with Florida's government, it is considered "The Sunshine State" because of the public's access to Florida's branches of government. Any citizen can simply make a public records request to obtain information about almost any activity of Florida's government. This access to information includes Florida's judiciary and certain disciplinary actions. In fact, cases of judicial misconduct where probable cause has been found and formal charges filed are published on the website of the Supreme Court of Florida. 

Created in 1966 by amendment of the Florida Constitution, the Judicial Qualifications Commission ("JQC") is an independent state agency tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct and disability by all judges within the state of Florida. 

 

The State of Women’s Access to Justice in the COVID-19 Pandemic
February 2, 2021

The State of Women's Access to Justice in the COVID-19 Pandemic

A woman's road to accessing justice was already precarious prior to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Across the world, an estimated 243 million women and girls aged 15-49 years were subjected to sexual or physical violence by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months. A portion of these women form part of the 2.5 billion who are deprived of various forms of legal protections.

The crisis has brought the resilience of justice systems into sharp focus, with resources being diverted away from the justice sector towards more immediate public health measures. Institutions and services such as the courts, hotlines, crisis centres, legal aid clinics and social welfare services are being scaled back in many countries. Justice institutions have also been compelled to operate differently. Courts are prioritizing "exceptionally urgent" cases and placing restrictions on in-person appearances.