Publications
27 September, 2023
The rule of law is vital to the response to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). These toolkits offer tools and resources that provide guidance on how the law can be used to curb NCDs and, potentially, to address other global health challenges. They aim to support the integration of legal approaches in the teaching of public health challenges through an interdisciplinary approach grounded in international human rights law. They address NCDs and regulatory and fiscal responses with a geographic...
19 September, 2023
Public health emergencies (PHEs) require a prompt and effective response at all levels: local, national, regional and global. To support timely and effective action, countries must be prepared well in advance, including legally, to ensure that systems for preventing, managing and responding to PHEs are in place and well-functioning.
The rule of law provides guidance and tools to strengthen States’ legal preparedness for PHEs. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, IDLO has supported low...
18 September, 2023
Globally, most people do not resort to formal justice systems to address their justice problems. Rather, they rely on diverse pathways to justice often referred to collectively as “customary and informal justice” (CIJ). Delivering people-centred justice for all in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16 (peaceful, just, and inclusive societies) and related targets requires governments, development partners, and civil society to engage with the empirical reality of CIJ and factor this into...
18 July, 2023
In 2022, nearly 2.4 billion people did not have access to adequate food and an estimated 3.1 billion could not afford a healthy diet. As the only global intergovernmental organization exclusively devoted to promoting the rule of law to advance peace and sustainable development, IDLO promotes the use of rule of law as a vital enabler of food systems transformation to enhance food security and nutrition for all.
IDLO’s Policy Brief Rule of Law for Food Systems Transformation highlights three key...
5 July, 2023
In 2022, the escalation of armed conflict, the increasingly severe effects of climate change and the lingering effects of COVID-19, generated greater justice needs while at the same time limiting the ability of individuals and institutions to address them.
This emerging reality, combined with the ongoing global backlash against human rights and multilateralism and the erosion of trust in governments and institutions, underscored the critical relevance of IDLO’s mandate.
Despite these...
31 March, 2023
Despite considerable progress made in the last decade on access to justice, many justice gaps continue to affect the population of Somaliland, especially women. Women justice seekers, in particular survivors of gender-based violence against women (GBVAW), are often left with no meaningful options for redress. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centres in Somaliland offer free, accessible, and fair justice services for basic criminal and civil law disputes while safeguarding the rights of...
31 March, 2023
Climate change contributes to mounting competition over scarce land and natural resources in Somaliland. Conflicts between farmers and pastoralists over land tenure and access to water are intensifying and threaten peace and stability, particularly in rural areas. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centres in Somaliland offer redress for basic criminal and civil law disputes, including many disputes generated or exacerbated by climate change, while strengthening safeguards for the rights of...
28 February, 2023
As a driver of inclusive economic development, the rule of law enables the design and implementation of legal and policy frameworks that are fair, transparent, coherent, and supported by predictable enforcement mechanisms.
International Investment Agreements (IIAs) are a key policy tool to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as a source of financing for development. However, they entail significant risks for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) due to their traditionally unbalanced and...
8 December, 2022
Laws that discriminate against women and girls drive the systemic denial of their human rights and block their advancement and empowerment. They prevent women and girls from accessing resources, opportunities and rights. When women and girls can live free from discrimination, with laws that protect their human rights, they realize their full potential and society benefits as a whole.
In support of the ‘Equality in Law for Women and Girls By 2030: A Multi-Stakeholder Strategy for Accelerated...
5 December, 2022
More than 4.3 million people are stateless—that is, they are not recognized as a national by any country. Stateless people are often denied access to education, health care, employment, property ownership, freedom of movement, and political participation, and they are at a heightened risk of abuse and exploitation. The very existence of statelessness is at odds with the aspirations of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and the reduction of statelessness is vital to delivering sustainable...
5 December, 2022
The report Survivor-Centred Justice for Gender-Based Violence in Complex Situations is the result of new research conducted by IDLO, in partnership with the Global Women’s Institute at George Washington University, in six countries across the globe with the aim to identify approaches that centre survivors in all efforts to address gender-based violence (GBV) in complex situations.
The report is informed by country case studies in Afghanistan, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, the...
3 November, 2022
The adverse physical effects of climate change undermine security and increase the risk of violent conflict, especially in contexts characterized by weak governance systems and existing social or economic grievances. The people most vulnerable to the impact of insecurity and conflict arising from climate change are those who already experience systematic exclusion and marginalization, such as women and girls, youth and children, indigenous peoples, and climate migrants.
IDLO’s Issue Brief Rule...
30 June, 2022
In 2021, the impact of the pandemic continued to be devastating, deepening inequalities, exacerbating fragilities and exposing major trust deficits in governance. Conflict, humanitarian and geopolitical crises, increasingly severe weather events, and a global economic downturn affected more people than ever before, with women and girls bearing the brunt of their impact.
Against this grim backdrop, the importance of the rule of law to peace and sustainable development was never more evident....
16 March, 2022
Women and girls have the right to effectively participate in and lead efforts to achieve climate justice. An explicitly feminist approach to climate change, based on the rule of law, is needed to ensure women’s inclusion in decision-making processes related to climate governance, equal access to justice, resolution of conflict over natural resources, and the enactment of inclusive and effective climate laws and policies.
IDLO’s Policy Brief Climate Justice for Women and Girls: A Rule of Law...
10 March, 2022
Equality in law is crucial for gender equality. Laws and policies shape the realities of women and girls in all aspects of life and in all parts of society. Just laws can be instruments to protect, promote and fulfil the rights of women and girls, contributing to just and inclusive societies, where no woman or girl is left behind. However, laws can also deny rights to women and girls and hinder the realization of a just and equal society.
IDLO and UN...