The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Guyana handed over US$400,000 worth of IT equipment and software to the local Judiciary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Guyana Police Force today.

The Guyana Fire Service, the Guyana Prison Service, the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory and the Ministry of Home Affairs are also in line to benefit from the multi-million dollar donation.

The move by the UNDP Guyana forms part of a broader package of support under the PACE Justice Project, which is a criminal justice reform initiative that is being funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UNDP Guyana.

Through the project, Guyana is benefiting from investments aimed at strengthening the country’s criminal justice system through technology deployment and capacity building.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at the UN House in Kingston, acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Roxane George, said the IT equipment and software, which include a Court recording software and associated hardware, will help to advance the work of the Judiciary as it forges ahead with its plans to modernize its operations.

The Acting Chancellor said the Judiciary has now embraced technology wholeheartedly despite initial challenges, and the IT equipment and accompanying software will be dispatched to Court houses across the country.

“Here we are with a gift of eight Liberty software and equipment systems. Liberty systems have been used in the High Court in particular and eventually we migrated them to the Magistrate Courts for a number of years. This presentation is timely because the number of course, as you know, has increased. The Head of the Court Reporting Unit, Mr Hector Edwards has advised me that these systems will be added to the 10 that have been recently acquired, and we have 18 courts already earmarked for installation,” the Chancellor said.

Acting Chancellor George said the Judiciary has graduated from simply storing its files electronically to the use of the Court recording system.

In 2024, the Judiciary introduced a cloud base e-litigation and case management system in both the High Court and Court of Appeal, which is now linked to its digital diaries.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall said the Government of Guyana appreciates the support being offered through the PACE Justice Project, as he thanked both the EU and the UNDP for their support.

He said support comes at a time when the administration of criminal justice in the Caribbean is undergoing significant changes. He said the Government is taking critical steps to modernize the Justice Sector.

UNDP Representative, Katy Thompson, said the UNDP is pleased to partner with the EU and the Ministry of Legal Affairs to support the Justice System and strengthen Democratic Governance and the Rule of Law.

 Thompson said to date, Guyana has benefited from more than US$870,000 of investment in a number of areas including the effective administration of justice, access to justice and restorative justice.

She said as the partnership moves forward, it is important for there to be reflection on the progress made and the challenges that still persist.

“As we move forward, we have been having various conversations in the context of those workshops and trainings including also some bilateral conversations among us around what would be the needs, and how could we support improvements in sectoral engagements on the rule of law in Guyana. And we would really encourage some reflection around taking a comprehensive and multiagency approach to promoting improved administration of justice and improve access to justice,” the UNDP Representative said.

 The EU Ambassador, Luca Pierantoni said the EU is pleased to support the work of the UN in Guyana. He said the IT equipment and software will help to advance the use of technology in the administration of justice. He said the door of the EU remains open.

Shortly after the handing over of the equipment and software, the members of the PACE Justice Project National Steering Committee convened a meeting to review Guyana’s proposed 2026 work plan, including the procurement of additional specialized software and IT equipment, and other capacity-building initiatives.

The work plan will be further reviewed and finalized during a steering committee meeting scheduled to be held in Barbados next week.

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