Improving access to justice: extending the reach of sustainable development agenda (UNODC)

Equal access to justice, or the equal ability of people to seek and obtain a remedy through formal or informal institutions of justice, is a prerequisite to fair, accountable and efficient administration of justice. It is also a fundamental pillar of sustainable economic and social development as it can improve prospects for equitable growth, strengthen the respect for and the implementation of the rule of law, promote safe and peaceful societies, as well as aiding governments in protecting the most vulnerable members of society. By giving every citizen the right to participate in an equitable and effective justice system, governments can promote cultural norms of fairness, integrity and social responsibility. UNODC’s Accounting for Justice Report of 2013 concludes that “when people’s basic safety, sense of security, and access to justice improves, so does their willingness to make medium- and longer-term decisions, invest locally, and contribute to productive growth”. In 2011, both UNODC’s Global Study on Homicide and the World Banks’s World Development Report found that societies registering more limited access to justice experience lower than expected growth.