Chapter 1. About this Guide

This introductory chapter presents the purpose, scope and structure of the Guide. It explains who the Guide is for, how it was developed and how it can be used. It situates the Guide within broader United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) strategies and shows how it complements other tools and resources. The chapter encourages teams to start where they are, build on existing momentum and use the Guide flexibly as a resource for practical action, strategic reflection and inspiration.

Chapter 2. UNDP’s people-centred approach to justice and security

This chapter introduces the UNDP people-centred approach to justice and security. It explains why the approach is essential for advancing rule of law, conflict prevention and sustainable development, and outlines the concrete benefits it brings to people, governments, development partners and UNDP. The chapter defines the approach and its relationship to human rights-based programming and the principle of Leave No One Behind, and sets out the five core elements that guide its application across diverse contexts. The section concludes with key messages to inform programming design, implementation and adaptation.

Chapter 3. Introducing the three-step programming approach

This chapter introduces a structured, step-by-step process for translating the people-centred approach into practice. It supports teams to diagnose problems, co-create and test solutions, and adapt interventions based on evidence and learning. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 detail in turn each of the three steps.

Chapter 4. Step 1: Identify and understand the problem

Step 1 helps teams understand justice and security problems from the perspective of the people affected. It begins by identifying whose needs are not being met and why, examining how systems function and what drives current outcomes. Step 1 brings together stakeholder mapping, power and political economy analysis (PPEA), conflict analysis and systems mapping to develop a shared understanding of the problem. It also shapes what and how evidence will be gathered, ensuring MEL is anchored in people’s needs and experiences from the outset. Step 1 recognizes that people-centred programming requires ongoing diagnosis, not only at the start of a programme but throughout implementation, to remain relevant, inclusive and responsive to shifting dynamics.

Chapter 5. Step 2: Design and test solutions

Step 2 focuses on translating insights from problem analysis into strategic, people-centred interventions. It supports teams to identify programming entry points, co-create solutions with communities and institutions, and test those solutions in ways that are inclusive, adaptive and grounded in evidence. Step 2 offers practical guidance on developing MEL systems, as well as integrated and portfolio programming that reflects both long-term goals and current context dynamics. It introduces tools such as the Six Dimensions Tool and the People-Centred Capacity and Integrity Framework to support strategic design and implementation.

Chapter 6

This step positions reflection, learning and adaptation as core programming practices that support long-term change. It focuses on using data, evidence and experience to assess progress, adjust interventions and scale what works. Step 3 provides practical strategies to embed people-centred approaches in systems, strengthen sustainability, and ensure programming remains responsive to evolving needs, power dynamics and contextual shifts.

Chapter 7. Conclusion

This chapter offers a brief conclusion that emphasizes the Guide is not a blueprint, but a practical resource to support context-specific and adaptive people-centred justice and security programming

Download the Quick Reference Guide

A concise overview of the Designing and Delivering People-Centred Justice and Security: A UNDP Programming Guide. Summarizes its structure, key concepts and tools, and directs users to the sections most relevant to their programming needs.

Download the UNDP people-centred justice and security policy framework

Sets out UNDP’s policy foundations for people-centred justice and security programming. Defines the approach, its principles and its role in advancing systems that are fair, accessible, accountable and trusted.

Chapter 7

This chapter offers a brief conclusion that emphasizes the Guide is not a blueprint, but a practical resource to support context-specific and adaptive people-centred justice and security programming

7.1 Conclusion

As emphasized throughout the preceding chapters, this Guide is not a blueprint, but a practical resource to support inclusive, effective and adaptive people-centred justice and security programming. The three-step process that lies at the heart of the Guide supports a context-specific response that is tailored to the justice and security needs of different communities and settings. It helps teams analyse those needs and understand why systems do or do not meet them. Grounded in co-creation, it enables teams to work with, not for, people, and to adapt and scale interventions based on what works in practice. The Guide is informed throughout by lessons from UNDP’s global experience and supported by practical tools and real-world examples.

Together, these elements form a flexible and strategic foundation for programming that is grounded in people’s rights and needs, that strengthens trust between communities and institutions, and that adapts to complex and changing realities. The Guide is relevant across contexts—from crisis-affected settings to longer-term development—and supports teams working on issues that intersect with justice and security across governance, peacebuilding and development.

The approach enables teams to work with complexity, navigate risk and uncertainty, and support systems that are inclusive, responsive and accountable to the people they serve. The people-centred approach is not simply a way of programming. It is a strategic approach to rebuilding trust and strengthening the social contract by making justice and security systems more responsive and accountable to people’s rights, needs and experience.