Eighth MDG Objective: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

UNICRI’s activities aim at improving ‘good governance’, with the long-term objective of strengthening the rule of law in developing countries.

The Institute’s projects in this area support countries effort in making the best use of international expertise and best practices and in setting up appropriate structures and institutions, with special attention to judicial and juvenile justice.

Countering corruption and promoting the rule of law through the creation of national and international networks means developing institutional capabilities, which in turn increase population opportunities, reduce disparities and promote respect for international standards.

In the framework of MDG 8, UNICRI devotes special attention to youth and to the 'strategies for their insertion in a decent and productive work.' The Institute is implementing programmes aimed at strengthening youth rights in Angola and Mozambique thanks to the generous contribution of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

UNICRI’s project in Mozambique aimed at promoting the rights of minors in conflict with the law, while enhancing the operational capacities of relevant institutions and grass-root organizations as well as strengthening juvenile justice. The programme was developed in response to the concern expressed by Mozambican authorities regarding the phenomenon of abandonment and juvenile delinquency UNICRI, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Mozambique and other relevant institutions in the country, have carried out the activities which initiated in late 2005.

By establishing inter-institutional coordination mechanisms and by involving civil society organizations, the initiative has been proposed to protect the rights of minors in conflict with the law by offering them a legal and social path aimed towards their recovery and reintegration.

More specifically, some of the major activities implemented to strengthen the juvenile justice system in Mozambique include: the upgrading of the Tribunal for Minors of Maputo, the identification and support of Centres for minors - the first Observation Centre and the first Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre inaugurated in the Country - the creation of a prevention network through the support of listening to children, and the training of personnel such as policemen, judges and social operators.

The project UNICRI implemented in Angola aimed at recuperating the country’s judicial traditions and the pre-existing system based on reconciliation, while strengthening the institutional and administrative framework of juvenile justice and making the juvenile court operational. On a social level, the project introduced pilot activities aimed at reintegrating children into the social system. Specific activities such as family reconciliation and reunification, case management, sports, leisure and health education also contributed to the prevention of juvenile delinquency and the enhancement of social rehabilitation and reintegration.