Migiro: rule of law drives work and mission of UN

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today underscored the central role played by the rule of law in the work of the United Nations.

Speaking at a panel discussion in New York focusing on the Security Council, Ms. Migiro defined the rule of law as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private – including the State itself – are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms.”

In its work, the Council seeks a middle ground between the needs for peace and justice, with there being a consensus that one cannot exist without the other, she noted.

“But as experience has taught us, it is a consensus that cannot be taken for granted,” she said. “That is why our focus on the rule of law calls for early interventions, so as to prevent situations where demands for justice become a subject for negotiations.”

Noting that the UN’s numerous rule of law activities are scattered across the Organization, Ms. Migiro said she is chairing the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group established by the Secretary-General.

The Group comprises the heads of eight UN departments and entities dealing with the issue, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

“Promoting the rule of law will be an essential component of our common endeavour to build a more peaceful and more just world for all,” the Deputy Secretary-General said.