I thank all partners and Member States for the support and trust you have demonstrated in the Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law.
The UN Secretary-General has established the GFP to promote coherent and effective support to Member States in the rule of law area. At Headquarters, UNDP and DPO co-chair this arrangement. In the field, the senior UN representative in-country—SRSGs or RCs in non‑mission settings—is responsible for overseeing the United Nations’ rule of law strategies.
The GFP aims to overcome fragmentation. It provides an incentive for UN partners to pool expertise and resources toward a common, coherent objective. As experience shows, the GFP has been more than the sum of its parts.
Under the GFP umbrella, joint rule of law programmes have been or continue to be implemented by all seven peacekeeping operations with a rule of law mandate, as well as in some special political missions.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, collaboration among MONUSCO, UNDP and other partners has resulted in greater efficiency of military justice through mobile court hearings, investigations, and victim support, including in cases of sexual violence. Furthermore, the GFP model has fostered collaboration among UN entities on several projects to fight impunity and promote victims’ access to justice.
In Somalia, joint programmes have been implemented for the development of the Federal Police Plan, the expansion of legal aid services, and increased capacity of the Custodial Corps to provide fair, humanitarian, and human‑rights‑compliant services.
With peacekeeping transition becoming a priority for the Secretary-General, the GFP approach has been particularly valuable. In Haiti, GFP partners jointly supported the reconfiguration of the UN presence after MINUJUSTH. In Darfur, the GFP’s joint programming model has been replicated in the State Liaison Functions (SLF), which brings together UNAMID and ten other UN entities to deliver on joint priorities, including in the rule of law.
As mentioned by my co-chair, rule of law institutions face added difficulties during the COVID‑19 pandemic, and the GFP has been instrumental in delivering timely support in certain areas of need. Prisons remain at high risk of mass contamination, and PPE and other assistance have been provided in detention centres in CAR and Mali, while the DRC, Haiti, Sudan and South Sudan expect similar support. In Libya, UNSMIL and the UNDP Country Office supported remote court hearings to continue reviewing pending cases and further decongest prisons.
The mainstreaming of gender and human rights standards into all phases of the GFP’s work is another indication of the holistic nature of this mechanism. This, along with synergetic linkages to platforms such as the Inter‑Agency Working Group on DDR and the Inter‑Agency SSR Task Force, enhances the sustainability of results achieved.
As the GFP continues to promote greater unity, coherence, and impact on the ground, I count on the continued political and financial support of Member States for this effective tool at our disposal.