Topic: Ensuring equal access to justice for all: towards safe and secure societies while respecting the rule of law (Workshop 2).

By taking measures to prohibit and prevent torture and other ill-treatment, including through efforts to ratify and improve implementation of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT), States can directly contribute to the implementation of Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ensuring respect for the absolute prohibition of torture, launching prompt and impartial investigations into allegations and prosecuting and punishing perpetrators removes incentives to torture and strengthens the rule of law and the administration of justice, promotes peaceful societies, reduces corruption risks, facilitates professional policing and law enforcement and builds effective, accountable and transparent institutions. The rights of suspects, witnesses and victims coming into contact with the criminal justice system are also safeguarded as States implement key legal and procedural safeguards following arrest, in police custody and during the initial period of detention, when risks of torture and other ill-treatment are known to be higher.

In this context, we recommend: a) enhancing cross-regional cooperation and experience-sharing on States’ good practices and challenges to effective implementation of national laws, policies and practices to prohibit and prevent torture and other ill-treatment, with the aim of stocktaking on progress made and discussing ways forward to overcome existing challenges; and b) making use of diplomatic initiatives such as the inter-governmental ‘Convention against Torture Initiative’ (CTI) as a platform for States to pursue constructive, peer-to-peer bilateral and multilateral diplomatic engagement on the global fight against torture.

 

Topic: Gender equality

The eight Nordic-Baltic countries are pleased to note that the snapshot document with key messages from the regional preparatory meetings highlights the importance of gender-sensitive approaches.

Gender perspectives must be mainstreamed across all policies, programmes and practices, to ensure gender equality and equal and fair access to justice. We call for innovative, evidence-based crime prevention strategies that uphold human rights, and underscore the need to strengthen public policies to counter discrimination, promote social inclusion and improve gender equality. Gender responsive approaches to crime prevention are crucial, through developing prevention strategies that consider the specific needs of women and girls, and that address the structural gaps that limit their access to justice and services. Beyond prevention, we highlight the importance of institutionalizing gender-responsive and child-sensitive justice systems. Gender-based violence and violence against women and girl is a particular and pervasive form of violence that requires gender-responsive approaches. Data should be gender-disaggregated and analyzed from gender perspective when possible.