IOM has handed over a newly constructed office building to the Provincial Justice Department in Bamyan, Afghanistan. The building was constructed by IOM in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with funding from the Government of Japan.

Engineering and design experts from IOM Afghanistan’s Emergency and Development Infrastructure Department began work on the building in September 2013. Construction activities were completed in September 2014 and following the handover ceremony Justice Department staff will move in immediately.

For the last decade, Justice Department staff in Bamyan have been working out of a rented facility that did not meet their needs. The construction of the new office was identified as a necessity following an assessment in Bamyan by UNODC in 2011.

The new 650 square metre facility, built to international standards, will provide the Justice Department with a permanent office in Bamyan and allow it to better carry out its mandate in the province. It includes 13 offices with the capacity to host 19 staff, a conference room and a library.

“This new building will improve the visibility of the justice system in Bamyan and subsequently develop the rule of law,” said Japan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Hiroshi Takahashi.

In Bamyan, the Justice Department is focused on issues including juvenile justice reform, land rights, dispute mediation and legal aid.

Through its Emergency and Development Infrastructure Department, IOM provides support for the construction of schools, health care facilities, roads, government buildings and other key infrastructure projects throughout Afghanistan.