The Warsaw Principles for the Rule of Law

A Global Coalition for Joint Action

The 2025 Warsaw Principles for the Rule of Law were launched on June 26, 2025, during the World Justice Forum in Warsaw, Poland. Developed by representatives from public institutions, international and regional organizations, civil society, academia, and the private sector, they serve as a universal and foundational framework to address the urgent need to strengthen the rule of law in the face of expanding authoritarianism and the erosion of fundamental rights. These principles emphasize the necessity of a strong, bottom-up, and context-responsive rule of law culture to ensure that legal norms are effectively implemented, broadly respected, and serve as a check on arbitrary power.  

The 10 Warsaw Principles for the Rule of Law:

Strengthen institutional checks and balances to maintain the separation of powers, provide appropriate oversight, and ensure accountability.

Addresses the erosion of checks on executive power, emphasizing the need to bolster the integrity and effectiveness of legislative bodies, judiciaries, prosecutors, lawyers, and independent oversight institutions to prevent abuse and ensure accountability.

Safeguarding the peaceful and lawful transfer of power through open, free, and fair elections or other constitutionally established procedures, in full accordance with national legal frameworks. 

Commits to ensuring openness in the peaceful and lawful transfer of power, by countering disinformation, upholding adherence to constitutional rules, and safeguarding against undue interference.

Protect civic space by ensuring media freedom, civil society engagement, and meaningful public participation. 

This includes safeguarding the independence and safety of media, defending the autonomy of civil society, and promoting inclusive public participation. 

Protect human rights and safeguard fundamental freedoms in line with international standards. 

Commits to strengthening legal protections for human rights, supporting anti-discrimination frameworks, and protecting human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society actors. 

Promote integrity and accountability to eliminate corruption in both the public and private sectors. 

Calls for reinforcing anti-corruption frameworks, enhancing enforcement and oversight capacities, promoting open government, and fostering coordinated anti-corruption efforts across sectors. 

Advance people-centered justice by strengthening independent, open, and effective justice systems that meet the needs of individuals and communities. 

Aims to promote accessible, inclusive, user-friendly, and responsive justice systems, that address barriers to legal information and services, ensure legal aid, and encourage innovation and transparency in justice delivery. 

Safeguard the independence, integrity, and safety of lawyers and legal professional associations, ensuring they can perform their duties free from harassment, retaliation, or improper interference. 

Ensure the protection of lawyers' independence and safety, supporting the independence and self-regulatory role of professional associations, and ensuring client confidentiality. 

Advance the rule of law as a driver of sustainable development, environmental protection, and technological innovation. 

Promotes institutional structures for fair access to resources, strengthens legal frameworks for environmental rights, and establishes clear legal standards for technological innovation such as AI, ensuring alignment with fundamental rights and ethics. 

Promote an enabling business environment grounded in the rule of law. 

Encourages clear, accessible, and stable legal frameworks, integration of human rights and environmental standards in corporate governance, robust anti-corruption frameworks, and timely access to justice for businesses. 

Foster collaboration, partnerships, and collective action to advance the rule of law. 

Promotes coordinated action by leveraging complementary strengths of governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, and international organizations to encourage open dialogue, peer learning and exchange of ideas.

Read the full Warsaw Principles for the Rule of Law

These principles are championed by a committed global coalition working together to advance the rule of law for all:

• Accountability Lab
• Basel Institute on Governance
• Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE)
• European Partnership for Democracy (EPD)
• Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
• Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL)
• International Development Law Organization (IDLO)
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
• International IDEA
• Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)
• Transparency International (TI)
• World Justice Project (WJP)

Is your organization interested in upholding the Warsaw Principles?

Get in touch with our Director of Engagement, Lauren Kitz, at [email protected]  

Join the movement. Uphold the Principles. Build a more just world.  Get the word out, share the Warsaw Principles!