June 28, 2017
Universal Access to Justice: An International Perspective

The Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG Fund) and the University of Navarra School of Law, in collaboration with the General Council of Spanish Lawyers, are organizing a series of five meetings to discuss the universal access to justice. The first meeting will be held during the High Level Political Forum in New York on 14 July 2017 from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM at the ONE UN Hotel.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in Goal 16 - “Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies” and in its target 3 “promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all”, indicates the importance of providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. The main objective of these meetings is to create a space for an in-depth debate concerning the current challenges facing the full enforcement of the right to access to justice, assuming that this is one of the basic tenets of the rule of law. The debates aim to generate an intense exchange of ideas between key players and stakeholders in order to contribute to the recognition, protection and promotion of the right of access to justice at the national and international levels. The first meeting will focus on discussing how to implement access to justice at the international level.

Objectives of the session:   

• To generate and disseminate knowledge about the main aspects of the right of access to justice.
• To create a discussion forum where policymakers, lawyers, officials from national and international institutions and academics can tackle and study this topic.
• To make a comparative analysis on the right of access to justice in its national and international dimensions.
• To study the recognition, protection and promotion of the right to access to justice in several of the regional human rights protection systems, with the aim of identifying best practices and disseminating ideas that may serve as a source of inspiration for practitioners and right holders.
• To identify new forms of collaboration to progressively guarantee equality in access to justice, as promoted by the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.

Speakers:

• Alejandro Alvarez,Director, Rule of Law, Executive Office of the UN Secretary General
• Paloma Duran, Director, SDG Fund
• Jorge Noval Pato, Dean of the School of Law, University of Navarra
• Rangita de Silva de Alwis, Associate Dean of International Affairs, University of Pennsylvania Law School 

For more information: Teresa Burelli, Teresa.burelli [at] undp.org

Register for the event here