24 December 2012: In the latest “Our Perspective” post, Sheelagh Stewart, Coordinator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Governance and Rule of Law Group in the Bureau for Crisis Prevention & Recovery, addresses questions on institutionalizing and operationalizing the rule of law, and related concepts of access to justice, accountability, and transparency.

When the UN Member States agreed on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), they did not discuss issues related to access to justice, governance and human rights, according to Stewart. Now, Stewart says, “the world has shifted on its axis,” and States recognize the rule of law and good governance as critical enablers of development.

“Rule of law and all it implies–transparency, accountability, and universal access to justice–are now squarely on the table,” Stewart says. For example, she notes, the African Union (AU), Council of Europe and the Organization of American States (OAS) now have their own regional human rights bodies. Stewart explains that rule of law allows individuals to address the past and move forward with the future. Transitional justice, which enables post-crisis communities to address past violence and hold perpetrators accountable, opens the potential for meaningful social contracts.

Stewart writes that States have agreed to incorporate the rule of law into discussions on the post-2015 agenda. She stresses that including a goal on the rule of law would represent a major incentive for reform, and advocates developing relevant indicators as part of the post-2015 process. She also highlights the UN Global Focal Point system, which allows UNDP and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to collaborate to support corrections, justice and police in post-conflict and post-crisis settings. [Our Perspective]