EU, UNODC and Kyrgyz Government launch EUR 8 mln project to support justice sector reform

By Trend

European Union and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, held a kick-off event of the Programme to Support Justice Sector Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic Project, or - “Justice for All.” The programme will be implemented for four years, from January 2022 till December 2025, Trend reports citing Kabar.

According to the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic, EU-UNODC joint programme “Justice for All” will work on improving access to justice and the rule of law in Kyrgyzstan through strengthening probation and criminal justice information management in line with international standards as well as best European practices.

The launch event brought together representatives from the Government institutions, justice sector and law enforcement agencies, international and donor communities, civil society organisations and media.

Ambassador Eduard Auer, Head of the European Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative to Central Asia, Ayaz Baetov, Minister of Justice of Kyrgyz Republic and Turusbek Ishenaliev, Deputy General Prosecutor of the Kyrgyz Republic addressed the event participants with their opening remarks.

“I am delighted to stand here today and witness the signature of the Project Workplan between UNODC, the EU’s implementing partner for this programme, and the State Institutions. I must say, I am personally very content that this project is focusing on what is the last element of the criminal chain: the enforcement of a criminal judgement by means of detention and its alternatives. By focusing on this aspect, this programme perfectly complements the support the EU has been giving in the field of rule of law throughout the years. I am also particularly pleased of the design of all these programmes, which have internal consistency and see the justice sector in an integrated way. Just4All is no exception in this sense” ”, said Ambassador Auer, Head of the European Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic.

According to Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative to Central Asia, - “As the custodian of the UN standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, which promote and protect human rights in the administration of justice, UNODC is committed to partnering with the Government and the European Union to assist the Kyrgyz Republic in reforming its criminal justice system to be effective, fair and humane for the entire population. This new project contributes to these efforts by promoting humanisation of the criminal justice system in Kyrgyzstan and enabling the country to scale up its capacity to implement its criminal justice reforms in line with international standards”.

The project will address two crucial areas in the criminal justice reform: probation and criminal justice information management. Thus, the project will create a fully functional probation service that can rehabilitate its clients and strengthen gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches to the administration of justice in the context of increased automation and digitalisation in the justice sector.

In addition, the project will strengthen the institutional capacity of the Probation Department through a consolidated legal framework, further development and implementation of a new information management system, and piloting new tools and measures that will enable probation officers to develop and implement individual rehabilitation plans. Thus, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of probation services.

By improving access to justice and the rule of law in the Kyrgyz Republic through enhanced probation and criminal justice information management, the project contributes to implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. In particular, “Justice for All’’ advances the progressive achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 5 ‘gender equality‘, 10 ‘reduced inequalities’ and 16 ‘peace, justice and strong institutions’.

The programme “JUST4ALL” is co-funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by the UNODC and is a part of the new program of cooperation signed between the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the European Union for transparent justice system and equal justice for all in the Kyrgyz Republic.