The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recognizes the need for urgent action to achieve the Agenda 2030 targets for peace, justice and inclusion.  Together with actors across the international development community, UNDP is calling for renewed efforts to strengthen rights-based rule of law and promote justice and security by placing people at the center. The people centered approach to justice and security ensures that people’s rights, needs, perspectives, and experiences drive the transformation of justice and security systems and their institutions to better serve people, especially the most vulnerable, marginalized, and those at risk of being left behind. 

This people-centred approach aligns to the UNDP human development mandate and reflects the core principles that have long guided its work in rule of law, justice and security. It emphasises how justice and security systems can be more responsive to the needs of people and communities. These needs extend beyond legal and human rights, to ensuring access to fair, accountable services and just outcomes. 

The strategic framework presented in this paper outlines the core elements and principles of the UNDP people-centred approach to justice and security. It explains why this approach is needed, identifies the challenges that have hindered its mainstream adoption, and highlights the changes required to fully implement it in programming. The approach embraces the complexity of justice and security systems, acknowledging that people’s justice and security problems are interconnected with an array of development issues.