UN Special Rapporteur Diego Garcia-Sayan with Ms. Ostheimer, Director KAS NY Office

Strengthening ties with the KAS UN Program and the design of activities of support by the office were paramount objectives for the visit.

During the present course of his tenure the Special Rapporteur aims to focus his attention on the impact of corruption, organized crime and other transnational threats on the judiciary. The Special Rapporteur also draws attention to the importance of judicial councils in guaranteeing the independence and autonomy of the judiciary but also highlights the lack of international legal standards specifically devoted to the role, composition and functions of judicial councils. In addition, he underlines in his work the essential role that bar associations play in a democratic society as only the free and independent exercise of the legal profession can enable access to justice and the protection of civil rights in particular.