UPSC Prelims 2018 Q14: Current Affairs – International Organisations & Groupings
- (a) Amnesty International
- (b) International Court of Justice
- (c) The Office of UN Commissioner for Human Rights
- (d) World Justice Project
Answer: (d) World Justice Project
Explanation
Rule of Law Index - Publisher
| Option | Publishes Rule of Law Index? | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Amnesty International | NO | Publishes annual human rights reports (State of the World's Human Rights), not the Rule of Law Index. |
| (b) International Court of Justice (ICJ) | NO | The ICJ is a UN judicial organ that decides inter-state disputes; it does not publish country indices. |
| (c) Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) | NO | Publishes UN human rights treaty reports and Universal Periodic Reviews, not the Rule of Law Index. |
| (d) World Justice Project (WJP) | YES | The World Justice Project (WJP), an independent US non-profit, publishes the annual Rule of Law Index since 2008, ranking 140+ countries on 8 factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, criminal justice. |
Answer: (d) World Justice Project.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Amnesty International focuses on human rights advocacy and reporting, not the WJP Rule of Law Index.
- (b) Incorrect. The ICJ is the UN's principal judicial organ - it adjudicates disputes; it does not publish indices.
- (c) Incorrect. OHCHR handles UN human rights monitoring; the Rule of Law Index is a WJP product.
- (d) CORRECT. The World Justice Project publishes the annual Rule of Law Index covering 140+ jurisdictions on 8 factors.
Key point
Rule of Law Index = World Justice Project (WJP). 8 factors, 140+ countries. WJP is an independent non-profit (founded 2006), not a UN body.
Remember
The Rule of Law Index is published annually by the World Justice Project, an independent US-based non-profit. It ranks 140+ countries on eight factors including constraints on government power, absence of corruption, fundamental rights, order and security, and civil and criminal justice. It is neither a UN publication nor produced by Amnesty International or the ICJ.
Common mistakes
- Confusing WJP with a UN agency - it is an independent non-profit headquartered in Washington DC.
- Mixing up the Rule of Law Index with Freedom House's 'Freedom in the World' or Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
- Assuming any 'rule of law' or 'justice' index is published by a legal body like the ICJ - it is not.
Exam tip
Index-publisher pairings: Rule of Law Index = WJP. CPI = Transparency International. HDI = UNDP. Global Peace Index = Institute for Economics & Peace. Freedom in the World = Freedom House.
Sources
- World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index Methodology (worldjusticeproject.org)
- PIB India - References to WJP Rule of Law Index rankings