Online Special Event to Commemorate the Nelson Mandela International Day
Prison Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the implementation of the Nelson Mandela Rules
Nelson Mandela International Day is observed every year on July 18th. The day is observed to promote the legacy of Nelson Mandel and also to reaffirm the importance of The Nelson Mandela Rules or the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners which is an international guideline for creating humane treatment of prisoners, to raise awareness about prisoners being a part of society and to value the work of prison staff as asocial service of particular importance.
The Nelson Mandela Rules were adopted in 2015 after five years of thorough revision process of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners which has been the guiding principle of the prison management for more than 60 years. With enhanced provisions that reflect the advances in public health its adoption, the Rules provide for fundamental principles of prison health, such as the duty of care as State responsibility. Ultimately, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the extreme vulnerability of people in detention and has highlighted the significant importance of these UN Standards and Norms.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ) shares the common objectives to promote and support the implementation of these UN Standards and Norms. The recent project by the UNODC was the development of the first ever scenario-based E-Learning platform on the Nelson Mandela Rules to address the gaps in many countries between the Rules and their national prison legislation, regulations and standing orders. The E-Learning course, which is tailored to the needs of prison and corrections officers, contains seven self-paced modules that will assist the user in understanding and applying the Nelson Mandela Rules. The course is available in many different languages including in Thai which has been recently developed by the TIJ’s support.
In order to reaffirm in the importance of the Nelson Mandela Rules, the TIJ in collaboration with the UNODC will hold a webinar under the topic of “Prison Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the implementation of the Nelson Mandela Rules”. This online special event takes place in recognition of the Nelson Mandela International Day, and highlights the efforts and recent developments executed by different organizations, including the Department of Corrections of Thailand (DoC), UNODC and TIJ on prison management during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Welcome Remarks
Jeremy Douglas
Regional Representative Southeast Asia and the Pacific
UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Opening Remarks
Ms. Pornprapai Ganjanarintr
Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand
14:25-15:00
Presentations
- Updates on the Good Health Good Heart Project and Prison Management amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic
Weerakit Harnpariphan, MD
Deputy Director General, Department of Corrections of Thailand
- Global study on the impact of COVID-19 on prison health
Piera Barzano, Consultant
Chontit Chuenurah, Director of Office for the Bangkok Rules and Treatment of Offenders, Thailand Institute of Justice
- Introduction to the Nelson Mandela Rules E-Learning Course in Thai and UNODC projects on prison management during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Naoki Sugano, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer
UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific
15:20 – 15:30
Closing Remarks
Dr. Phiset Sa-ardyen
Executive Director of Thailand Institute of Justice
The webinar is available in Thai and English.
