Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution titled “Equal Access to Justice for All,” requesting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to “convene a meeting of experts, nominated by Member States, to share information on challenges, lessons learned, best practices, and enabling factors needed to improve the functioning of criminal justice systems in order to ensure equal access to justice for all.”
This expert meeting is expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2024. As an ECOSOC-affiliated NGO, ASC may submit comments by September 1, 2024. These comments must be brief (maximum 550 words), but we may include links or summaries of relevant research, reports, and work in this area that has international implications.
These contributions will be incorporated into a background paper to guide the discussions at the meeting of experts in late 2024, as well as into the report that will be presented to the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2025.
In short, this is an opportunity for civil society to contribute to a UN initiative aimed at improving access to justice worldwide. Please forward this invitation to those whose expertise might be relevant, noting the tight deadline.