The Status and Role of Prosecutors. A United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime and International Association of Prosecutors Guide

Abstract

This publication is the culmination of a joint commitment by the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to produce a guide to expand and illustrate the principles set out in the United Nations Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors and the IAP Standards of Professional Responsibility and Statement of the Essential Duties and Rights of Prosecutors (the IAP Standards) and other relevant instruments which apply to the status and role of prosecutors within the context of criminal justice.

This document is written for individuals and groups, including the following, who may benefit from having an awareness of the internationally recognized standards found in the Guidelines and the IAP Standards and of how those principles should be applied in practice: National policymakers (executive and legislative branches of government), Prosecutors (public prosecutors, both full time and ad hoc appointed prosecutors), Technical assistance providers (United Nations and others) tasked with strengthening the integrity and capacity of prosecution services, Criminal justice practitioners, including judges and defence lawyers, Academia, Non-governmental agencies focusing on criminal justice and human rights, Students and the general public.