Guinea-Bissau: Strengthening Justice and Security Sector Reform in Guinea Bissau
JOINT PROGRAMME QUICK FACTS
Total Budget $4,000,000
Delivery Rate
Participating Agencies UNODC, UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women
Main Achievements
- Elaboration and adoption of the National Gender Policy based on 2009 CEDAW recommendations.
- Expansion of the assessment on legal needs and services of traditional justice, ADR mechanisms and formal justice for the most vulnerable.
- Strategic development plan has been completed for parliamentary oversight of the security sector reform and gender.
Contact Ana Patricia Estevez Graca, ana.p.graca@undp.org
Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world. Civil war, multiple coups and assassinations and protracted unrest have created profound political instability and extremely fragile institutions.
The complexity of Guinea-Bissau’s situation makes efforts to improve governance contingent on reforming the security sector. The aim of the Joint UN Justice and Security Sector Reform programme is thus to strengthen Guinea-Bissau's justice system and to improve access to justice, particularly for women and the poor. It seeks to foster national ownership, promote stability, improve the rule of law and public security and help reintegrate ex-combatants.
The Joint Programme is supporting legislative reform to protect citizen's rights and improving security and law enforcement. In particular, the JP is helping to strengthen civilian management and oversight of security institutions.
The strategy sees Justice and Security Sector Reform as a highly political process that requires transparent, equitable and accountable implementation, participatory and deliberative processes and gender- and conflict-sensitive approaches.