Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly

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High-level debate of the General Assembly on Equal Access to Justice for All

15 June 2023

(As delivered)

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you heard, today we are brought together under the theme “Equal access to justice for all”.

This is a timely topic indeed. It is, in fact, urgent.

When prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of people reported to be lacking equal access to justice had surpassed 5 billion.

A staggering number that, by all probability, has surged further in the wake of the pandemic.

Equal access to justice is a fundamental human right which – regrettably – remains an elusive promise for too many around the globe.

Why is the word “equality” so important here?

Allow me to quote directly from Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which celebrates its 75-year anniversary this year:

“All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.”

Equality is the very thing that makes justice just.

And justice is the very thing that makes us human.

As said by Aristotle 2,300 years ago, “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst.”

Equal access to justice is critical to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda not only because of its centrality to SDG16, but also because of our overarching promise to leave no one behind.

It is always the vulnerable within our societies – women, children, minorities, persons with disabilities, and those most impoverished – who bear a disproportionate burden of inequality.

And it is only when justice reaches those furthest away, that we know our systems are working.

I recently had the pleasure to visit our colleagues in Vienna, some of whom are here with us today.

There, I stressed that the rule of law is the foundation of the social contract we have drawn up both inside countries and among nations.

But I also stressed that there are many obstacles which hinder access to justice.

Inadequate legislation and policies.

Limited financial resources.

Lack of awareness of the existence of services or how to access them.

Insufficient numbers of qualified justice actors to efficiently deliver services.

So, what can we do to shore up our structures and mechanisms?

To achieve equal access to justice for all, we must place people at the heart of justice systems – and justice at the heart of sustainable development.

There are several key tenets of promoting access to justice that must be consistently upheld:

–           the right to a fair trial,

–           the right to legal aid,

–           legal empowerment, and

–           the independence of the judiciary.

We must strengthen our institutions and justice systems to be accountable, transparent, and people centered.

We need them to contribute to the rule of law – not undermine them.

We do this by investing in education, by training judicial authorities, and by continually revising laws and rules, in accordance with best practices – and the development of our legal standards.

I urge all Member States to start seeing equal access to justice for all as a prerequisite for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

This mindset shift is a good example of the transformation we need so as to make the UN meaningful for all people.

I urge you to use today’s High-Level Debate to brainstorm how to enact this shift, and to focus on what you want to bring to the SDG Summit in September.

By engaging in meaningful dialogue, and implementing tangible solutions, we can pave the way for a future where access to justice is not a privilege, but an unequivocal right for all.

Let us join forces to cherish justice.

Because justice is, as the old saying goes, “the truth in action”.

I wish you fruitful discussions and I thank you.