VIENNA, SEPTEMBER 12 – Last week a meeting revolving around the subject matter of the Mandela Rules -the United Nation’s minimum standards for the treatments of prisoners- took place at the headquarters in Vienna. The Mandela Rules were adopted in 2015 during the UN’s General Assembly. They specify the norms which member states are bound to respect in defining the conditions of their prisons.
The ‘Group of Friends of the Mandela Rules’, aimed at ensuring the implementation of this set of norms with the support of the UNODC, was furthermore established. The Group is chaired by Germany and South Africa. Italy, which played an active role in the negotiations which eventually led to the adoption of the rules, is among the approximately 30 members.
Last week’s meeting was also constructive in regards to the United Nations’ Conference on Crime, the fourteenth edition of which is expected to take place in Kyoto, April 2020. Indeed, the meeting served as an opportunity to reflect on ways through which the rules drafted during the Conference may be further valorized.
To access the Mandela Rules please visit this link: https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/Nelson_Mandela_Rules-E-ebook.pdf
(@OnuItalia)