CASTRIES, August 16, 2024, CMC – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says it has successfully completed a two-day workshop aimed at strengthening human rights-based and gender-sensitive policing in St. Lucia.
It said that the workshop, which ended on Thursday, was attended by at least 20 officials involved in the management and administration of justice and citizen security under the theme “Enhance Equal Access to Justice for All”.
The workshop was organised by UNDOC in collaboration with the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office for Barbados & the Eastern Caribbean’s (UN RCO).
“This initiative is one of several interventions encapsulated in a consolidated offer by the United Nations to the government following a development partners meeting organized by the United Nations Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Multi-Country Office in St. Lucia in October 2023,” UNODC said, adding its aligns with the UNDOC Strategy 2021-25, the UNDOC Strategic Vision for Latin America and the Caribbean 2022-25, the caribbean Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework 2022-26 and the General Assembly resolution on “Equal access to justice for all.
UNODC said it aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment and programming initiative focused on human rights-based and gender-responsive policing in St. Lucia and that the intervention is designed to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG16.3), which promotes the rule of law at national and international levels and ensures equal access to justice for all.
UNDOC team leader, Anna Giudice, said that a set of recommendations will be developed, based on the workshop discussions, to inform further UNODC assistance to St. Lucia in the area of police reform.
“The police are under pressure to perform with demands for safety security and justice. UNODC’s role is to support the police in executing their often-challenging duties.”
Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Security in St. Lucia, Sarah Dupre-Cotter, welcomed this initiative, saying “we are immensely grateful for the assistance and efforts of the UNODC in organizing this gathering and trust that ..viable recommendations can be presented to … facilitate their efforts in obtaining the necessary assistance to assist our continued efforts at police reform and equitable access to justice in St. Lucia”.
CMC/nk/2024