CHƯƠNG TRÌNH PHÁT TRIỂN LIÊN HIỆP QUỐC (UNDP)

In recent years, despite the overall progress in Viet Nam, the Judicial Reform Strategy to 2020 recognizes that social and economic achievements have to be sustained through deepening democracy and building a substantive “rule of law” state. The need to promote legal empowerment and ensure justice to all, and vulnerable groups in particular, remains strong and is an utmost national priority especially when Viet Nam is experiencing rapid changes as a newly emerged middle-income-country. To further support Viet Nam in the implementation of the Strategy for the Development and Improvement of Viet Nam’s Legal System to 2010 with a Vision to 2020 (Resolution 48) and the Judicial Reform Strategy for the Period until 2020 (Resolution 49), the Justice and Legal Empowerment Programme (the Programme) has been developed to meet the most urgent need as results of recent reviews of the implementation of these important Strategies to identify key priorities for law and judicial reforms in 2016-2020.

The Programme is funded by the European Union and consists of two parts - a co-delegation agreement (PAGoDA) to provide targeted capacity building to institutions and evidence-based research and a basket fund for small grants for civil society organisations called the Justice Initiative Facilitation Fund (JIFF). The PAGoDA mechanism is co-funded by UNDP, UNICEF and is implemented by UNDP and UNICEF in partnership with Ministry of Justice of Vietnam.

Under the PAGoDA mechanism, the Programme will strengthen the rule of law through a more reliable, trusted and better-accessed justice system. Specifically, it aims to focus on those population groups which, according to dependable data, face the greatest obstacles in using the justice system to invoke their rights, and on improvement of mechanisms for rights protection, legal services including advice, assistance and representation.