For information only - not an official document

UNIS/MA/215
3 April 2018

MEDIA ADVISORY

Media representatives are invited to

UNODC's Global Judicial Integrity Network launch

9 April 2018

M Building, Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria

VIENNA, 3 April (UN Information Service) - The media is invited to cover the launch of the Global Judicial Integrity Network on 9 April 2018 at United Nations in Vienna, in the presence of Chief Justices, judges and judicial professionals from all over the world.

The launch will gather nearly 400 high-ranking participants, who will be welcomed by video messages from Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy-Secretary General of the United Nations, and Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The opening session will also be addressed by chief and senior justices from Austria, Brazil, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nigeria and the United States, and by UNODC's Director for Treaty Affairs, John Brandolino. Diego García-Sayán, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, will address the Plenary Session, with Christophe Régnard, President of the International Association of Judges, and Rudolf Mellinghoff, Member of the Judicial Integrity Group.

The two-day event will offer participating members of the judiciary opportunities to interact, to discuss key issues with Chief Justices from other Member States, and to present recommendations on enhancing cooperation through the Network. Substantive sessions will cover topics such as codes of conduct, disciplinary bodies and proceedings, sextortion, balancing accountability and independence, assessing integrity in the justice system, financial disclosure, the use of social media by judges, enhancing transparency, the impact of digitalization on judicial integrity, judicial appointments, and judicial training.

The Network's launch follows consultations with some 4,000 judges and seven regional preparatory meetings over two years, and will be a valuable resource for judiciaries everywhere to help strengthen judicial integrity and prevent corruption in their respective justice systems, in line with Article 11 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

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Media accreditation:

Media representatives who wish to cover the Global Judicial Integrity Network launch, and who are not already accredited to the Vienna International Centre, should email press@unvienna.org for accreditation. Journalists are invited to attend the Opening Session starting at 9:00am and the Plenary starting at 10:45am in Room M1, M-Building, as well as the coffee break for possible interviews at 10:15am.

Join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtags #GJIN and #JudicialIntegrity, and by following @UNODC and @DohaDeclaration for updates.

The agenda for the conference can be viewed here: https://www.unodc.org/ji/en/restricted/network-launch.html

More information on the Global Judicial Integrity Network can be found at: www.unodc.org/ji

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For further media enquiries, please contact:

Kevin Town
UNODC Public Information Officer
Telephone: +43 699 1459 5575
Email: kevin.town@un.org