United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

UNODC: Southasia

India: UNODC empowers young people as ‘integrity champions’ to strengthen peace, justice and SDGs

New Delhi, India/29 September 2022:  Education plays a pivotal role in promoting the rule of law and a culture of lawfulness–that is, an environment in which the rule of law is understood, respected, and upheld. Education can empower children and youth to understand and exercise their rights, think critically, make sound ethical judgments, challenge injustice and promote fair societies.

In this direction, UNODC partnered and participated in a two-day Regional Conclave on Justice Education in Asia, organized by India's New Law College, Pune. Supported by the Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE), the conclave brought together educators and students from law schools in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, India, Iran, Iraq, Nepal and Pakistan.

At the conclave, UNODC experts showcased the Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education (GRACE) Initiative, free-to-use educational resources and tools on crime prevention, integrity and ethics, and good practices including the Lockdown Learners series from South Asia. 

Addressing the participants, Mr. Alex Petkov, Associate Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, UNODC, said, “As key role players bringing forward and promoting integrity, youth have the capacity to revolutionize the way society views and addresses corruption. Through GRACE, UNODC aims to create promising environments for change through innovative solutions.”

Discussions focused on strengthening institutional collaborations to mainstream justice education, knowledge sharing and exchange of good practices and innovative interventions. Themes included challenges and opportunities in the area of justice education, initiatives from Asia, innovative teaching methods, and policy reflections. 

Highlighting the need to contextualise and simplify the language around crime prevention and justice for stronger engagement with young people, Mr. Samarth Pathak, Communications Officer and Regional Focal Point for Youth and Education, UNODC Regional Office for South Asia, said, “While reimagining our approach to justice education, it is critical to also find ways to bring in young people as equal stakeholders in this process. This requires a rethink on how education can enable young people to meaningfully contribute to strengthen the rule of law, crime prevention and peace. This has to be a systematic and interactive process, because values, ethics and integrity are not learnt, but imbibed and inculcated.”

Earlier in September, in an interactive discussion held in partnership with the Janki Devi Memorial College (JDMC), University of Delhi, UNODC also engaged about 60 female undergraduate students from different academic disciplines on the Global Goals, integrity and crime prevention, and why their actions matter.

Students brainstormed COVID-19’s social impact and the SDGs, and the need to co-create sustainable solutions that leave no one behind with empathy and integrity. With case studies and contextualized examples, participants were informed about UNODC’s GRACE Initiative and other innovative efforts in South Asia, in countering crime and promoting peace and the rule of law. Students expressed their interest in working on issues such as human trafficking, discrimination, corruption and cybercrime, using their expertise in research, network-building, creative arts, technology and responsible activism.

Welcoming the initiative, JDMC student Ms. Medha Tushti, said, “The session with UNODC was very insightful and enlightening. We learnt about the SDG framework, interlinkages between the Goals, and their impact on our lives. Such engagements inspire and help young people like us to think about social issues and be a part of the mission to achieve Agenda 2030.”

Another JDMC student, Ms. Gaura Sharma, asserted, “It was a very educative and interactive initiative on SDGs and crime prevention, with storytelling and practical insights. We were motivated to undertake grassroot-level action at our level, using our own skills and knowledge to help vulnerable groups. It also gave me deeper insights into the work of the UN and the field of public policy.”