The Hague welcomes the first project office on the Rule of Law by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This milestone was achieved through an agreement between the Netherlands and the United Nations. The signing ceremony, held on January 31, was attended by the Mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, and the city’s Special Envoy for Peace and Justice, Diana Eggleston.
UNDP, the leading UN agency for international development, focuses on various areas including poverty reduction, democratic governance, crisis prevention, and recovery, all of which emphasize the importance of strengthening the rule of law.
UNDP is opening an office in The Hague for its ‘Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice, and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development’. In The Hague, UNDP aims to strengthen partnerships with international justice actors and civil society justice champions, including through the Justice Action Coalition (JAC).
Caption: Katy Thompson, Co-Director of UNDP’s Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding Hub, co-led by the Crisis Bureau and the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. Right: Lise Gregoire-van Haaren, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations.
UNDP will also establish its Justice Futures CoLab, a space for experimentation, learning, and innovation to address justice challenges in The Hague and be part of the secretariat of the Dutch-led Justice Action Coalition (JAC).
"UNDP is a valuable addition to The Hague's ecosystem of peace and justice. The arrival of UNDP also strengthens the bond between the UN and The Hague as an international city of Peace and Justice."
"It is inspiring and symbolic that UNDP's Justice Futures CoLab will have its home in The Hague, known as the city of peace and justice.”
The Hague, the international city of Peace and Justice
The Hague hosts a vibrant ecosystem of more than 500 organisations working on peace and justice challenges, including the International Court of Justice, UNOCHA, UNICRI, and UNHCR.
The Justice Futures CoLab
Justice Futures CoLab will be UNDP’s hub for developing and experimenting with innovative solutions to address justice challenges. By continuously scanning legal and policy landscapes, the CoLab provides insights that drive meaningful change in justice systems worldwide.
The Justice Action Coalition
The Justice Action Coalition (JAC) is a multi-stakeholder alliance of countries and organizations working to achieve measurable progress in justice outcomes for people and communities by the third SDG summit in 2027 and beyond. The secretariat for the Justice Action Coalition is hosted by the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just, and Inclusive Societies and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
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