Situation analysis: It has long been recognized that there are strong links between establishing democratic governance, reducing poverty and securing human rights and access to justice for all. After their independence most countries in Europe and the CIS have signed and ratified the key international and regional human rights treaties expressing their commitment to adhere to international norms and standards. The EU accession requirements have had a positive impact on the human rights record of many countries in Central Europe and Western Balkans. However, in the Caucasus and Central Asia implementation of legal frameworks has been progressing slower. In many countries of the region governments have been run inefficiently and without systems of democratic accountability. The concentration of power in the executive branch of government, coupled with the relative institutional weakness of the legislative branch, creates a major challenge for the Parliaments to assert their policy making role, or effectively oversee executive action. As a result the poor and other vulnerable groups may be victimised by corrupt or indifferent officials, without having a reasonable chance to seek legal remedies for mistreatment. Anticipated results: - National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) staff capacity and procedures strengthened in order to implement their mandates more effectively;
- Capacity of governments and civil society counterparts, and UNDP staff in the Europe and ECIS region strengthened to apply a Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA);
Proposed programme: The regional human rights and justice project will reinforce and complement programming carried out at the national level. Regional initiatives aim to bring together leading experts, CoP members, government and civil society partners to explore key issues in the identified priority areas. Collective learning, East-East cooperation and partnerships will be promoted and supported. Knowledge management will be a key strategy for achievement of the human rights and justice outcome. The regional project will enhance stakeholders’ understanding of relevant topics through the development of regional knowledge products. The project addresses the following priority areas: · Support to National Human Rights Institutions as a key counterpart in promotion and protection of human rights for all at the national level. · Enhance the capacity national counterparts and UNDP staff to apply human rights based approach to development programming. · Improve the access to justice in the region with a special emphasis on vulnerable groups, by preparing a regional access to justice study. Facilitation of a strong CoP and high quality policy advice and technical support provided to COs. |
