Your Royal Highness

Dashos

The UN Resident Coordinator

Distinguished Partners 

It is a privilege to join you for this high-level dialogue on the future of Bhutan’s justice sector. 

I wish to begin by recognizing Your Royal Highness’s leadership in Bhutan’s long-standing commitment to advancing a justice system that is people-centred, trusted and anchored in dignity. 

Nurturing a continuous talent pipeline of high caliber Bhutanese legal professionals is critical to realise this vision and Your Royal Highness’ leadership in establishing the JSW School of Law, the Bar Council of Bhutan and the Bhutan National Legal Institute has been pathbreaking. 

UNDP is proud to partner with the Wisdom Center for Justice at JSW Law School and I would like to put on record our gratitude for the continued funding support by the European Union that has underpinned this partnership.

Together, our efforts have contributed to strengthening legal aid services, building institutional capacities, promoting legal awareness at the grassroots level, and supporting more citizen-centric approaches to justice delivery. 

These are essential foundations for a justice system that people can understand, access and trust.

A strong legal system and institutional integrity is also central to instilling investor confidence and to attract public and private sector investments as Bhutan continues its successful development journey and pursues transformative national ambitions such as the Gelephu Mindfulness City.

Across our Asia Pacific region, justice systems are continuing to evolve driven by emerging technologies. AI and digital justice solutions have the potential to expand access, improve efficiency and strengthen the delivery of justice. At the same time, this must be done in ways that preserve fairness, transparency, and accountability.

A future-ready justice sector must be inclusive by design. It must respond to the needs of women, children, persons with disabilities, youth, older persons and remote communities. 

We must indeed ensure that innovation serves inclusion and does not turn into an end in itself, or is solely viewed as a tool for efficiency gains. Only then can our justice systems truly become more accessible and responsive to the needs of those most at risk of being left behind. 

These principles strongly align with the goal of a “free, fair, just and harmonious society” set out in the Bhutan’s Justice Sector Strategic Plan II and its deeply human-centered development values.

So, as Bhutan continues to get its justice sector future-ready, regional experience and exchanges including on how to harness digital and AI driven justice solutions responsibly can offer valuable insights.  

I am pleased that, Aparna Basnyat, Regional Adviser on Rule of Law, from my team in Bangkok, is joining us this morning and she will share some regional perspectives. 

UNDP stands ready to continue supporting Bhutan’s justice sector through institutional strengthening, technical expertise, innovation and sustained partnership with JSW Law, the Bhutan National Legal Institute and other justice sector agencies. 

In closing, I wish to reiterate our sincere appreciation for Your Royal Highness’s leadership and unwavering commitment to advancing people-centred access to justice and the rule of law in Bhutan.

We look forward to working together to help shape a justice system that meets the needs of today while preparing confidently for the future!