Maputo (Mozambique), 3 October 2022 – On Monday, 3 October 2022, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and SERNAP, the Mozambican National Prison Service, inaugurated a training room at the Ndlavela women’s prison facility in the Maputo province.
This training room, fully equipped with IT devices, is the first of its kind in Mozambique, and it will be used to build capacities and improve the skills of SERNAP staff, prison guards and officials, as well as inmates on different areas, including prison management, prevention of violence extremism and prevention and treatment of drug abuse.
This work comes about with the aim to improve the Mozambican justice system and promote human rights in prisons, with a focus on rehabilitation, resocialization and humanization of inmates, as stressed during the inauguration ceremony by Mr. Marco Teixeira, Head of Office in UNODC Programme in Mozambique and Malawi.
The facility was dedicated and named after the Minister of Justice of Mozambique, H.E. Helena Kida, who also led the ceremony. During the event, Minister Kida emphasized the importance of this facility to deliver training to SERNAP staff on Nelson Mandela’s rules, as well as eradication of violent extremism in penitentiary contexts, both priorities of the Mozambican Government.
The Minister also acknowledged the importance of Mozambique and UNODC’s strong partnership and acknowledged UNODC’ continued support to the country and the criminal justice sector.
UNODC provides institutional support and resources to key criminal justice institutions in Mozambique to improve their capacities to administer justice in the framework of the Maputo Roadmap, a strategic document signed by both UNODC and the Mozambican Government in 2019, guiding UNODC’s engagement in the country. Strengthening the rule of law and promoting prison reform, while reinforcing the capacity of SERNAP on prison management and crime prevention are amongst the key priorities included in the Maputo Roadmap.
This activity also contributes to various efforts being undertaken by Mozambique to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 16 on “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions."