01 - 02 August 2018 - Transparency International (TI) National Chapters implementing the CRIMJUST project met in Berlin to share their research phase experiences and conceptualize the upcoming advocacy phase. The meeting held at the Transparency International Secretariat, gathered representatives from seven CRIMJUST countries Panama, Dominican Republic, Nigeria, Ghana, Peru, Colombia and other countries from the region Venezuela, Honduras and Guatemala. Following the project's key pillar of strengthening the integrity and accountability of criminal justice institutions, the meeting aimed at coordinating efforts to actively involve civil society organizations.
Transparency International, in coordination with UNODC and other partners, developed a Law Enforcement and Justice Institution Accountability Assessment Tool to enhance the capacity of civil society organizations to identify, monitor and propose measures to address key accountability challenges in effectively combatting organized crime in law enforcement and the judiciary.
With the implementation of the tool and the conclusion of the exploratory and assessment stages, National Chapters have identified the gaps in accountability mechanisms and have developed relevant recommendations for the institutions they have evaluated. Consequently, the purpose of this workshop was not only to review the tool implementation research phase but also to plan for the advocacy phase
The workshop provided the space for country representatives to share their experiences regarding the research phase highlighting the challenges they faced and drawing the key learnings. The sessions allowed for the review of the methodology applied followed by advocacy planning.
In order to raise awareness about the latest trends and challenges regarding cocaine trafficking, as well as, to inform about CRIMJUST implementation status, Marco Teixeira, the Global Coordinator of the CRIMJUST Programme, updated the TI colleagues on the work and achievements of the other project partners. Additionally, participants engaged with presenters on the topics of TI's global initiatives as they relate to organized crime and the use of social media as a communication tool. Using their recommendations as a starting point, TI country representatives had the opportunity to begin developing their advocacy plans by identifying their advocacy targets, analyzing their internal and external context and identifying the support required at a national, regional and global level from the TI Secretariat or from UNODC.
The workshop reinforced the importance of the active participation of a civil society partner and the value both UNODC and TI attribute to the continued partnership under the project. The main outputs of the workshop were the:
Under the framework of the CRIMJUST project funded by European Union Cocaine Route Programme, UNODC and its partners (INTERPOL and TI) aim to assist Member States to enhance their capacity and integrity of criminal justice institutions to detect, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate illicit cocaine trafficking cases, and to foster cooperation at the interregional level for effective action to tackle drug trafficking and related organized crime .
For more information:
- European Union "Cocaine Route Programme"
- INTERPOL
