May 28, 2015
SDG Fund and the General Council of Spanish Lawyers sign cooperation agreement

Gina Casar, UN Under-Secretary General and Deputy Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Sonia Gumpert, Vice President of the General Council of Spanish Lawyers and Dean of the Bar Association of Madrid, signed in April 17 a memorandum of understanding to establish a cooperation framework in the field of justice and the promotion of equality for all.

With this agreement, the United Nations, through the Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG Fund) of UNDP, will work with the General Council of Lawyers in training lawyers to advance development.

This agreement involves joint collaboration in training for lawyers in both developed and developing countries; promoting universal access to justice; adapting laws and policies to improve the lives of the disadvantaged; and access to training to promote the implementation of the legal principles of equality, freedom and solidarity. It is built on the experience, knowledge, and skills of lawyers from the 83 law schools throughout Spain that form the General Council of the Bar, now being made available to the international community for sustainable development.

During the memorandum signing, Gina Casar highlighted that this agreement is one of the priorities included in the discussions of the new development agenda for the period 2015-2030. Sonia Gumpert recognized the importance of this memorandum because it develops related activities "with matters in which there is still a lot to do."