Delivering Accountability through Innovation and Partnership: Harnessing Technology to deliver justice for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
I am deeply honored to be in the presence if Nadia Murad here today.
I thank our briefers today, who shed light on the most recent developments in investigating ISIL crimes. Your insights are highly valued, as they help to better focus our work here at the Security Council. Ending impunity and bringing justice to the victims of crimes against humanity remain imperative for Estonia.
Estonia acknowledges the successful work carried out by UNITAD, despite the challenging circumstances imposed by the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It is very important to strengthen the cooperation between national authorities, UN entities, human rights defenders and survivor groups to ensure full accountability.
We fully support UNITAD in their efforts to strengthen the capacity of Iraqi authorities, and commend the significant progress made in terms of using new resources and technical innovations. Collection and digitalization of ISIL internal documentation in cooperation with Iraqi institutions is an important step forward. Today’s presentation by Karim Khan is a vivid example of this.
Estonia is keen to harness the potential and the benefits of new technologies. We are firm believers in the advantages that a digital society can bring, including in protection of human rights – for example, guaranteeing access to justice and fair proceedings.
In this regard, I would like to share with you our national experience. The Central Database for Justice – E-File – is the backbone of all information systems in our justice sector, and guarantees fast and safe electronic information exchange between all authorities in the justice system.
The police, prosecution offices, courts, prisons, probation supervision, bailiffs, the legal aid system, the tax and customs board, and the State Shared Service Centre – all are connected to the E-File. Its importance lies in only one authority having to enter new data into the system for every participant to be able to access it.
Data is collected and stored in one place, and all authorities whose information systems are connected to the E-File can use the same information. The exchange of is information is fast, secure and paper free.
The use of such a digital platform has increased the transparency of the justice system, as the activities of the authorities in the justice system can be monitored and measured. Additionally, it has optimized the work process of public authorities, especially the police and courts; and contributed to reducing court proceeding times, most importantly in criminal cases.
Coming back to today´s discussion and to conclude – technological solutions are critical in improving the provision of psychosocial support to victims and addressing specific needs of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The Witness Protection and Support Unit of UNITAD has done crucial work to ensure such support to victims in Iraq, for example, making gender sensitive psychoeducational resources and therapeutic materials aimed at helping children available in local languages on their website.
There is already significant information sharing between UNITAD and the Iraqi judiciary. Hopefully, this trend continues and we are always ready to share our experience with such digital solutions, as food for thought, when attempting to enhance cooperation between various Iraqi institutions and UN bodies.