This note provides the guiding principles and framework for UN rule of law activities at the national level that apply in all circumstances, including in crisis, post-crisis, conflict-prevention, conflict, post-conflict and development contexts. In order to ensure a comprehensive and coherent UN approach, the note is derived from United Nations norms, standards and guidance, and the framework outlines the fundamental constituent elements of rule of law efforts. To strengthen the rule of law a legal framework is necessary, and the implementation thereof, consistent with international norms and standards, which protects human rights and provides for effective redress, including: Laws on the judiciary, legal practice and prosecution that reflect, among others, the standards embodied in the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, and Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors;