Islamabad, January 24, 2019 (PPI-OT): A two-day Inter-provincial Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Coordination amongst the Home Department, Law Enforcement Agencies, Prosecution, Prisons and Judiciary concluded in Islamabad today.
“We are rebuilding trust in institutions working together with all stakeholders and development partners to improve access to legal services, provide swift and credible access to justice, and restore community trust in police and judicial processes,” said Mr. Ignacio Artaza, Resident Representative (a.i.), UNDP Pakistan. Mr. Jakhongir Khaydarov, Programme Manager, UNDP Strengthening Rule of Law Programme shared best practices in justice sector coordination from other countries such as the U.K., Nepal, and New Zealand.
Representatives from Home Departments presented key challenges of criminal justice coordination and existing mechanisms, and issues in the implementation of Rule of Law Roadmaps. Speaking at the session, Mr. Syed Ihtisham Qadir, Prosecutor General Punjab, Mr. Abdul Nasir Dotani, Add. Home Secretary Balochistan, Khwaja Wajihuddin, registrar Peshawar High Court appreciated UNDP’s efforts towards organising the event and raised the need for similar sessions in the future.
During the working groups, the participants discussed various challenges and issues in the existing mechanisms and suggested recommendations and ways forward for the policy makers. The workshop enabled stakeholders from across the country to identify mechanisms to improve quality of criminal investigation, preservation of evidence, empowerment of the prosecution, and close coordination amongst the rule of law and justice sector institutions.
The workshop concluded with policy recommendations for strengthening the justice sector coordination to improve access to justice. The workshop was attended by 30 representatives from all the four provinces.
For more information, contact:
National Information Officer
United Nations Information Centre (UNIC)
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-8355720
Cell: +92-300-8553790
Email: ishrat.rizvi@unic.org