Independence and Impartiality of the Judiciary, Jurors and Assessors, and the Independence of Lawyers

A/HRC/RES/56/3View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item 3Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, published in 2024.

What other versions does this mandate have?

7 versions · 2009–2024

2024A/HRC/RES/56/3Independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyersLatestCompare with previous version
2020A/HRC/RES/44/9Independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyersCompare with previous version
2017A/HRC/RES/35/12Independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyersCompare with previous version
2015A/HRC/RES/29/6Independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyersCompare with previous version
2013A/HRC/RES/23/6Independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyersCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 topics

Administration of Justice Digital Technology Human Rights Judicial Independence Judicial System Lawyers Technical Cooperation

What does this mandate say?

31 operative paragraphs

Calls upon all States to guarantee the independence of judges and lawyers and the objectivity and impartiality of prosecutors, and their ability to perform their functions accordingly, including by taking effective legislative, law enforcement and other appropriate measures that will enable them to carry out their professional functions without interference, harassment, threats or intimidation of any kind;

Encourages States to promote diversity in the composition of the members of the judiciary, including by taking into account a gender perspective and by actively promoting the balanced representation of women and men from various segments of society at all levels, and of persons belonging to minorities and other disadvantaged groups, and to ensure that the requirements for joining the judiciary and the selection process therefor are non-discriminatory, public and transparent, based on objective criteria and guarantee the appointment of individuals of integrity and ability with appropriate training and qualifications in law based on individual merit and under equal working conditions;

Calls upon States to promote the full, equal and meaningful participation and representation of all women, as well as equality in access to positions at all levels of the administration of justice, and encourages States to adopt substantive and procedural standards to make progress towards achieving gender balance and to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in public decision-making roles in the judicial system, including the judiciary and prosecution services;

Stresses that the term of office of judges, their independence, security, adequate remuneration, conditions of service, pensions and age of retirement should be adequately secured by law, that the security of tenure of judges is an essential guarantee of the independence of the judiciary and that grounds for their removal must be explicit, with well-defined circumstances provided for by law, involving reasons of incapacity or behaviour that renders them unfit to discharge their functions, and that procedures upon which the discipline, suspension or removal of a judge are based should be in compliance with due process;

Encourages States to develop, as appropriate, policies, procedures and programmes in the area of restorative justice as part of a comprehensive justice system;

Also encourages States to consider, in collaboration with relevant national entities, such as bar associations, associations of judges and prosecutors and educational institutions assisting the judiciary developing guidance on issues such as gender, children, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and migrants, among others, to inform the action of judges, lawyers, prosecutors and other actors in the judicial system;

Underscores that lawyers must not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of discharging their function;

Emphasizes that lawyers should be enabled to discharge their functions freely, independently and without any fear of reprisal;

Calls upon States to ensure that prosecutors can perform their functional activities in an independent, objective and impartial manner;

Condemns all acts of violence, intimidation or reprisal, from any quarter and for any reason, against judges, prosecutors and lawyers, and reminds States of their duty to uphold the integrity of judges, prosecutors and lawyers and to protect them and their families and professional associates against all forms of violence, threat, retaliation, intimidation and harassment, whether from State authorities or non-State actors, resulting from the discharge of their functions, and to condemn such acts and to bring perpetrators to justice;

Expresses its deep concern at the significant number of attacks against lawyers and instances of arbitrary or unlawful interference with or restrictions to the free practice of their profession, and calls upon States to ensure that any attack or interference of any sort against lawyers is promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigated and that perpetrators are held accountable;

Calls upon States, in collaboration with relevant national entities, such as bar associations, associations of judges and prosecutors and educational institutions, to provide adequate training, including human rights training, for judges, prosecutors and lawyers, both on initial appointment and periodically throughout their careers, taking into account regional and international human rights law and, where applicable and relevant, the concluding observations and decisions of human rights mechanisms, such as the treaty bodies and regional human rights courts;

Encourages States to take measures to combat discrimination in the administration of justice by, inter alia, providing for tailored and interdisciplinary human rights training, including anti-racist, multicultural, gender-responsive and child rights training, to all judges, lawyers and prosecutors;

Underscores the importance for States of developing and implementing an effective and sustainable legal aid system that is consistent with their international human rights obligations and takes into account relevant commitments and good practices so that legal aid is available and accessible at all stages of legal proceedings, subject to appropriate eligibility criteria;

Encourages States to take appropriate measures to ensure that women have meaningful access to legal aid and assistance through gender-, age- and disability-responsive means, including by conducting information and awareness-raising programmes for women about the existence of legal aid and public defence services;

Urges all Governments to cooperate with and to assist the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers in the performance of her tasks, to provide all information requested and to respond to communications transmitted to them by the Special Rapporteur without undue delay;

Invites States to take measures, including by adopting domestic legislation, to provide for independent and self-governing professional associations of lawyers and to recognize the vital role played by lawyers in upholding the rule of law and promoting and protecting human rights;

Calls upon States to ensure that legal provisions that are to be or have been adopted in relation to counter-terrorism or national security are consistent with the international obligations of the State concerning the right to a fair trial, the right to liberty and the right to an effective remedy for violations of human rights and other provisions of international law relevant to the role of judges, prosecutors and lawyers;

Urges States to ensure that judiciaries have the necessary resources and capacity to help to maintain functionality, accountability, transparency and integrity, and to ensure due process and the continuity of judicial activities, including efficient access to justice consistent with the right to a fair trial and other rights and fundamental freedoms, during extraordinary and crisis situations;

Encourages States to make available to judiciaries safe, secure, trusted and responsibly developed current and emerging digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and innovative online solutions enabling digital connectivity, to help to ensure access to justice and respect for the right to a fair trial and other procedural rights, including in extraordinary and crisis situations, with special attention given to closing digital divides, including the gender digital divide, reducing inequalities and to ensuring that judicial and any other relevant national authorities are able to elaborate the necessary procedural framework and technical solutions to this end, while stressing the importance of international cooperation and technical assistance to developing countries in this regard;

Stresses the importance of enhancing the capacities of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and public servants in judicial administrations, including through adequate training, in order for them to understand and be able to manage risks related to the use of digital technologies, as well as by providing them guidance on the responsible use of artificial intelligence systems within judicial contexts, with the aim of promoting the adherence to international human rights law;

Underlines that the use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, in the administration of justice requires human oversight, scrutiny and human accountability and must not impair human rights or encroach on human dignity, nor interfere with the decision-making power of judges, prevent transparency of judicial activities or infringe on the right to a fair trial, effective remedy or access to justice;

Reiterates the importance of ensuring appropriate safeguards and human oversight in the application of safe, secure, trusted and responsibly developed new and emerging digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as the importance of respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights in the conception, design, use, development, further deployment and decommissioning of such technologies in the justice sector, and of paying particular attention to thorough and transparent human rights impact assessments throughout their life cycle in order to prevent or mitigate effectively potential risks they may pose to human rights and to prevent any form of discrimination or the reinforcement of existing bias;

Invites the Special Rapporteur to collaborate with relevant stakeholders within the United Nations system in the areas pertaining to the mandate;

Calls upon Governments to give serious consideration to responding favourably to the requests of the Special Rapporteur to visit their countries, and urges States to enter into a constructive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur with respect to follow-up to and the implementation of her recommendations to enable her to fulfil the mandate even more effectively;

Encourages the Special Rapporteur to facilitate the provision of technical assistance and capacity-building and the dissemination of guidelines and best practices, including through engagement with relevant stakeholders and in consultation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, when requested by the State concerned, with a view to establishing and strengthening the rule of law, paying particular attention to the administration of justice and the role of an independent and competent judiciary and legal profession;

Encourages Governments that face difficulties in guaranteeing the independence of judges and lawyers, the objectivity and impartiality of prosecutors and their ability to perform their functions accordingly, or that are determined to take measures to implement these principles further, to consult with and to consider the services of the Special Rapporteur, for instance, by inviting the mandate holder to visit their countries;

Encourages Governments to give due consideration to recommendations made by United Nations human rights mechanisms, and to implement recommendations supported under the universal periodic review process, addressing the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and their effective implementation, and invites the international community, regional organizations and the United Nations system to support any implementation efforts;

Invites United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to continue their activities in the areas of the administration of justice and the rule of law, including at the country level at the request of the State, encourages States to reflect such activities in their national capacity-building plans, and emphasizes that institutions concerned with the administration of justice should be properly funded;

Encourages States to ensure that their legal frameworks, implementing regulations and judicial manuals are fully in line with their international obligations and take into account relevant commitments in the areas of the administration of justice and the rule of law;

Decides to continue consideration of this issue in accordance with its annual programme of work.

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Who created this mandate?

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What does this mandate say?

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