Expert Group Meeting: Judicial Immunities 

For two days, senior judges and international judicial experts from 12 countries and 11 judicial associations and organizations debated the aspects contributing to judges' ability to dispense justice without constraint, and therefore with immunity. These discussions will be the basis to further develop a paper analyzing the elements that help build judicial integrity and independence, and exploring how immunities (such as immunity from a suit for damages for a judicial act, the security of a judge's tenure, the rights of judges and their work conditions) can positively contribute in safeguarding the fundamental principles of judicial conduct.

While all experts agree on the necessity of shielding judges from consequences of decisions they have made in good faith and in accordance with accepted judicial integrity principles, they also agree that such immunities needed to be better defined, and better communicated to the public. Indeed, "judicial immunity must be a shield for the community, not a sword against it," explained one senior judge. "Judicial immunity must not be seen as a  carte blanche," explained another, "nor be conflated in the mind of the public with judicial impunity."

Judicial Conduct and Ethics: Train-the-Trainers Workshop 

Promoting judicial integrity by supporting those who will themselves train judges and judicial staff in their respective countries, these UNODC resources are being rolled out in 40 pilot countries. In March 2019, the fourth training of trainers was organized at UNODC headquarters in Vienna, gathering judges and judicial staff from some 20 countries, all aiming at organizing trainings in a near future and incorporating these unique resources. 

The training naturally focuses on the end goal of strengthening judicial integrity, and it additionally offers great insight on behavioural psychology, learning styles, and group dynamics. It also explores at length the entire cycle to delivering a training, from the role of trainers and facilitators in managing the project, to planning, execution and post-training evaluation, with copious examples and case studies to support the experience throughout. While such matters and considerations are applicable to trainings in all professional categories, they attain a higher level of sensitivity when judges are in the learning seat. 

Advisory Board  Meeting of the Global Judicial Integrity Network 

Fruitful deliberations on the Network's past, present and future were held in Doha in January 2019. Convening over two days, members of the  Network's Advisory Board  assessed the achievements made thus far, and agreed on forthcoming efforts to continue promoting its vital work. Hosting the meeting, Dr. Hassan bin Lahdan Alhassan Almohanadi, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judiciary Council of the State of Qatar, recognized the Board as including some of the world's key legal minds, brought together to tackle issues such as judicial conduct and anti-corruption, and stressed the Network's importance in spreading the rule of law.

Expert Group Meeting: Gender-related Judicial Integrity Issues

While the basics of judicial integrity have been agreed and enumerated in the  Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct , the guidelines on some topical matters may not be up to the required standards. For example, subjects like  judges' presence on social media networks , or cases with gender-related issues, have recently become more relevant to judicial work and are in need of closer scrutiny.

Two big meetings addressed these challenges in Seoul in December 2018. The first, organized by the  Judicial Policy Research Institute of the Supreme Court  of the Republic of Korea, also celebrated a special milestone with the commemoration of the 70 th  anniversary of the establishment of the country's judiciary. Addressing the conference, Chief Justice Myeongsu Kim stated that "the independence of the judiciary is a core value to ensure the freedom and rights of the people through fair and good trials."