CORPORATE BACKGROUND:
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes the critical role of well-functioning justice systems for sustainable development, particularly through Sustainable Development Goal 16 on Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, which includes targets like ensuring equal access to justice for all, reducing corruption and bribery, ensuring access to information, and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Goal 16 is seen as an ‘enabler’ goal (SDG 16+), as peace, justice and strong institutions are all fundamental elements for accelerating progress towards other SDGs and guaranteeing that no one is left behind.
Judiciaries who uphold high standards of integrity and enjoy public trust are one of the cornerstones for ensuring equal access to justice for all, combatting corruption and ensuring accountability. Given the critical role of the Judiciary, UNDP in 2018, with support from the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and in partnership with the judiciaries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, launched the Judicial Integrity Network in ASEAN. The initiative is aimed at fostering transparency, promoting integrity and increasing public trust through the exchange of good practices and peer-to-peer learning. The initiative achieved several results. These include:
Producing the Judicial Integrity Checklist, which is a tool specifically designed to complement the International Framework for Court Excellence (IFCE). The objective of the checklist is to support judiciaries in taking active steps to promote transparency, integrity and accountability within their courts, as part of the broader quality management systems. The checklist was developed in response to expressed needs of the Judicial Integrity Network members and in collaboration with the International Consortium for Court Excellence.
The tool was piloted in Malaysia, and the pilot experience was shared with the network members at the Second Meeting organized in March 2019. This sharing of experience helped to reflect on the merits of the tool as well as identify areas for improvement both in the tool and its implementation. Following the self-assessment, UNDP provided technical assistance to incorporate the recommendations and implement the action plan.
In its second phase (2019-2021) and despite challenges due to the pandemic, the project sought to continue the peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, strengthen and institutionalize the network, and develop collaboration with ASEAN bodies like the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ), the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), and the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ). Finally, the initiative created opportunities to involve more women judges and experts in the network, as well as bring the topic of gender balance and gender inclusion as a way to positively affect judicial integrity, openness and fairness of the courts.
INTERNSHIP OFFICE BACKGROUND:
The UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH) is responsible for the implementation of regional projects, knowledge management activities and the provision of advisory services to the 24 UNDP Country Offices in Asia and the Pacific. Transparency, accountability and anti-corruption are at the core of UNDP’s work to bridge inequalities in the Asia-Pacific region. BRH is leading UNDP’s anti-corruption work in the Asia-Pacific Region with projects on “Anti-Corruption for Peaceful and Inclusive Societies”, “Judicial Integrity Champions in APEC”, and “Promoting a fair business environment in ASEAN”.
These projects are UNDP’s major vehicle through which it responds to the growing demand for technical assistance in anti-corruption. They support interventions at global, regional and country levels in order to promote national ownership, capacity development, effective aid management and South-South cooperation in addressing corruption and fostering democratic governance.
Job Features
