The Status and Role of Prosecutors - A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and International Association of Prosecutors Guide - Foreword

Oct 22, 2026

This guide explains why prosecutors hold a central position in criminal justice across legal traditions and why the rule of law and human rights depend on effective prosecution services. It outlines the UNODC mandate to help states reform prosecution systems using international standards, including the UN Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors and IAP professional responsibility instruments. It also describes joint UNODC–IAP cooperation to present relevant practices and encourages feedback to improve future guidance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages66

Reading Time2 h 46 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

UNODC mandate and international standards

UNODC–IAP cooperation and guide purpose

Acknowledgements

The Status and Role of Prosecutors A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and International Association of Prosecutors Guide CRIMINAL JUSTICE HANDBOOK SERIES UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna The Status and Role of Prosecutors A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and International Association of Prosecutors Guide UNITED NATIONS New York, 2014 © United Nations, December 2014. All rights reserved worldwide. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Publishing production: English, Publishing and Library Section, United Nations Office at Vienna. Foreword United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime While the role and status of prosecutors varies greatly among Member States, in all legal traditions prosecutors occupy a key position in the criminal justice system and exercise considerable powers and responsibilities. Ultimately, the rule of law cannot be upheld, nor can human rights be protected, without effective prosecution services that act with independence, integrity and impartiality in the administration of justice. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is mandated to assist Member States in reforming their criminal justice systems and implementing United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice. Those standards and norms include the United Nations Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors, as well as the International Association of Prosecutors Standards of Professional Responsibility and Statement of the Essential Duties and Rights of Prosecutors. UNODC is also mandated to support Member States in combating or preventing the most serious forms of crimes, including organized crime, corruption and terrorism. The fight against these crimes requires not only well-trained and well-organized prosecutors but also prosecutors who are supported and protected by their governments. This publication is conceived with the aim of assisting Member States in their review or development of rules for the prosecution service, in accordance with the above-mentioned international standards and norms. It obviously does not propose a single model for their implementation, but rather seeks to illustrate those standards and norms and to expose readers to different noteworthy practices. Moreover, this publication is the welcome result of what has now become a long history of cooperation between UNODC and the International Association of Prosecutors. We very much hope that Member States and, in particular, their prosecution services, will benefit from this joint work. Yury FEDOTOV Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime International Association of Prosecutors This publication is the culmination of a joint commitment by the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to produce a guide to expand and illustrate the principles set out in the United Nations Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors and the IAP Standards of Professional Responsibility and Statement of the Essential Duties and Rights of Prosecutors (the IAP Standards) and other relevant instruments which apply to the status and role of prosecutors within the context of criminal justice. The catalyst for this commitment was the endorsement of the IAP Standards by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in its resolution 17/2 at its seventeenth session, held in Vienna from 14 to 18 April 2008. To produce a guide that encompassed the different legal traditions and criminal justice systems existing throughout the world and that spoke to all vested interests would demand a publication of encyclopaedic

FAQs

Why are prosecutors important in the criminal justice system?

Prosecutors play a key position in criminal justice across legal traditions and exercise significant powers and responsibilities. Effective prosecution services are necessary to uphold the rule of law and protect human rights.

What standards and norms does the guide reference?

The guide highlights the United Nations Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors and the International Association of Prosecutors Standards of Professional Responsibility and the Statement of the Essential Duties and Rights of Prosecutors.

What is the aim of this UNODC–IAP guide?

It is designed to assist Member States in reviewing or developing rules for prosecution services. Rather than proposing a single model, it illustrates the standards and norms and presents noteworthy practices.

Oct 22, 2026

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