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Issues: Rule of Law

Rule of Law

Rule of law maintains that all individuals, institutions and the state itself are held accountable to the law. Where rule of law exists, people thrive and economies flourish.  The United States therefore supports initiatives to bolster countries’ capacities to develop rights-respecting police and security forces and to build legal systems that deliver fair, impartial, accountable justice.

Rule of Law News

Report
UPR Recommendations for Working Group 2: Criminal Justice
Dec 21, 2016 | U.S. Federal Government

UPR Recommendations and Positions 

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Press Release
DRC: Call for Calm and Respect for Human Rights
Dec 16, 2016 | Deputy Department Spokesperson, Mark C. Toner

The United States is deeply concerned about the potential for unrest and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on or around December 19, when President Joseph Kabila’s second and final term in office was to end with the inauguration of a democratically elected successor. We urge both the government and opposition to cooperate fully and in good faith with the DRC’s Conference of Catholic Bishops (CENCO) to finalize an inclusive agreement as ...Read More
Article
Why Human Rights Matter
Dec 10, 2016 | DipNote Bloggers
December 10, marks the 68th annual Human Rights Day in which the United States and countries around the world recall the ideals of freedom enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On that day in 1948, governments came together to say that human rights are universal to all people and that governments have a responsibility to respect and actively protect them. ...Read More
Article
Fighting Corruption is a Global Effort
Dec 9, 2016 | Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Daniel L. Foote
Through INL (Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs) programs, we assist countries committed to tackling corruption by both strengthening democratic institutions and building new support for reform through the empowerment of citizen advocates who hold governments accountable to global standards. INL provides capacity building assistance to promote transparency and accountability and to increase governments’ and citizens’ abilities to uphold the rule of law. ...Read More
Video
President Obama Speaks to the Open Government Partnership Global Summit
Dec 7, 2016 | President Barack Obama
Five years ago, President Obama joined with the leaders of seven other nations to launch the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a global partnership between governments and civil society organizations to advance transparency and accountability, bolster citizen engagement, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. On December 7th, 2016, thousands of government leaders and civil society representatives from 70 countries gathered together for the 2016 OGP Global Summit in Paris, to representing the growth of initiative. ...Read More
Press Release
FACT SHEET: The United States Commitment to the Open Government Partnership and Open Government
Dec 7, 2016 | President Barack Obama
Five years ago, President Obama joined with the leaders of seven other nations to launch the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a global partnership between governments and civil society organizations to advance transparency and accountability, bolster citizen engagement, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. ...Read More
Article
Sentencing by Hungarian Court of Ahmed Hamed
Dec 6, 2016 | Deputy Department Spokesperson, Mark C. Toner

The United States is concerned by the prosecution and sentencing in Hungary of Ahmed Hamed, a Syrian native involved in clashes between police and asylum-seekers near the town of Roszke at the Hungary-Serbia border in September 2015, based on a broad interpretation of what constitutes “terrorism.”

We urge the government of Hungary to conduct a transparent investigation, with input from independent civil society groups, into the events at Roszke and to review the cases of ...Read More
Video
TEDx Talk Stronger Together: Advancing the Rights of People with Disabilities
Dec 5, 2016 | Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, Judith E. Heumann
I know discrimination when I see it. And I see it every day, both here in the United States and when I travel abroad. I'm always meeting with disabled women. And those women tell me stories about how they experience violence and rape and how, in many cases, these forms of violence occur from family members and people that they know who, in fact, may be working for them. And frequently, these cases are not adjudicated. ...Read More
Remarks
Remarks at a Ceremony Awarding the Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to Secretary Kerry
Dec 5, 2016 | Secretary of State John Kerry

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I’m going to wear that around the office for the next three weeks and see if I get any respect at all. (Laughter.)

Guten Abend. Danke. Vielen dank. Thank you all for this really absolutely extraordinary and completely unexpected gathering. I’m so privileged and grateful for all of you coming here to share in this special moment, this friendship between Federal Republic of Germany and the United States, between Frank-Walter Steinmeier and ...Read More
Op-Ed
Op-Ed: Finding New Ways to Fight Corruption in Africa
Nov 28, 2016 | Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Steven J. Feldstein

Corruption violates the dignity of citizens and shatters the social compact between leaders and their populations. Across Africa, corruption is responsible for fueling wars, perpetuating violence, undermining democracies and empowering kleptocrats and dictators. Breaking the cycle of corruption is a long-term struggle that requires sustained political will, substantial political and economic reform, and a significant shift in attitudes. This will not happen quickly or easily. As the Panama Papers demonstrate, however, we are witnessing the ...Read More

Secretary Kerry on Rule of Law

  • “Violent non-state actors do not from nowhere: they flourish in the absence of credible and effective state institutions." 
    - Secretary of State John Kerry,  April 2016
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Fact Sheet

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President Obama on Rule of Law