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United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC)
(French)
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. Established in 1997, UNODC is mandated to assist Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. In the Millennium Declaration, Member States also resolved to intensify efforts to fight transnational crime in all its dimensions, to redouble the efforts to implement the commitment to counter the world drug problem and to take concerted action against international terrorism. UNODC operates in all regions of the world through an extensive network of field offices.
Activities in Lebanon
Within the framework of ROMENA, UNODC started in 1999 in Lebanon with a project targeting Juvenile justice reform. In the same time technical assistance were also provided on activities related to drugs field as well as fighting corruption within the framework of national or regional projects. UNODC has been requested by the Minister of Justice of Lebanon in February 2007 to build on the positive results on juvenile justice by addressing the criminal justice system through penal reform. Currently the UNODC outpost is mainly focusing on Penal Justice reform including prison reform and Anti -trafficking in Human Beings. The national counterparts are principally the Ministry of justice and the Ministry of Interior.
Penal justice reform
UNODC is the body responsible for implementing the United Nations standard minimum rules for crime prevention and criminal justice. Such includes the effective and appropriate management of prisons by assisting Member States in applying the United Nations Standards and Norms in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and most essentially the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
The project entitled “Improving the criminal justice system through support to penal reform” aims to provide assistance for the implementation of a criminal justice policy targeting the penal reform in line with international standards and norms. The overall objective of the project is to ensure the design and implementation of a penal reform strategy, focusing in particular on a smooth transfer of the prison’s administration from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice and reducing prison overcrowding by:
(a) Improving a legal criminal justice framework in harmony with international instruments,
(b) Establishment of an efficient penitentiary administration within the Ministry of Justice,
(c) Improving a comprehensive rehabilitation and treatment programme for prisoners,
(d) Setting up specialized training for the penitentiary administration staff, and
(e) Promote the role and the participation of civil society in the detention centers/prisons and for after release services.
Phase I of the project is aimed at building the foundation of a longer term process of penal reform, including the establishment of a strategic plan for this purpose. Phase II of the project will focus on deepening the process of penal reform through further strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Justice to manage the country’s penal system.
Measures to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings in Lebanon
The project’s main objective is to enhance the existing criminal justice mechanisms against trafficking in human beings (THB) by strengthening Lebanon’s capacity to draft and implement legislation in compliance with international instruments and to increase investigation and prosecution capacities through training. Lebanon has ratified the United Nations Convention on Organized Crime and its Protocols in 2005.
The present project is based on the country assessment results and recommendations undertaken by the Ministry of Justice with the technical assistance of UNODC under the 3 year project LEBR61 (2005-2008) entitled “Prevent and combat Trafficking in Human Beings in Lebanon”. The current project document aims to build on the work already conducted by UNODC in the area of THB.
The overall objective of the project is to ensure a prevention mechanism as well as a comprehensive victim identification process. This will be achieved by:
(a) Promoting the enactment of domestic legislation in line with the convention and related protocols including mechanisms and procedures, whilst ensuring proper implementation;
(b) Improving the effectiveness of law enforcement functions;
(c) Promoting the role and the participation of civil society and NGOs in prevention.
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