Building Judicial Capacity
Efficient, equitable and accessible justice systems are the lifeblood of the rule of law. For many years, building judicial capacity in the developing world was IDLO's sole area of intervention.
Today, while our mission and expertise has greatly expanded, we remain faithful to that early purpose. Building capacity in the judiciary is still the bulk of what we do, and what we are most recognized for. We do this in a variety of legal systems and traditions, working with local and international partners, with a strong emphasis on transition societies.
In the words of Kyrgyz Supreme Court Chair and IDLO interlocutor Feruza Z. Djumasheva, "Without successful judicial reforms, there will be no economic or social reform."
Biodiversity: A Legal Grounding in Benefit Sharing
This July as every late July, many Romans fled their city. In their place came hundreds of thousands of international visitors. For the overwhelming majority, the trip was about relaxation; for others, it was about studying and a sense of public mission.
A Common Law Curriculum in South Sudan
As a long-term partner of the College of Law at the University of Juba, IDLO helped align the teaching system with South Sudan's new legal context and regional standards. With the majority of its justice sector professionals educated in Islamic/civil law, South Sudan faces the dual task of increasing its overall population of qualified legal professionals and simultaneously retraining practicing lawyers and prosecutors.
Strong Backing for Tunisia's Transition
“It takes me 50 minutes to fly to Tunis,” says Giulio Zanetti, speaking from Rome headquarters. “Compare this to Paris, which takes me 2 hours...”
IDLO States Somalia Commitment at Key Istanbul Gathering
ISTANBUL, May 31st/June 1st -- IDLO Director-General Irene Khan is taking part in a conference on the future of Somalia in Istanbul, as the organization seeks to aid progress towards a constitutional settlement in the shattered country.
Yemen Team-Up Cements Italy-IDLO Bond
The Italian Justice Minister, Andrea Orlando, has expressed strong interest in reinforcing his Ministry’s cooperation with IDLO. Mr. Orlando’s comments came as he met IDLO Director-General Irene Khan to discuss judicial and legal capacity development in Yemen. It was the highest-level encounter between the Italian Ministry of Justice and IDLO in some years.
Kuwait Agreement Showcases Strong Partnership
IDLO and Kuwait have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), in what both parties say is a milestone in their three-decade-old relationship. The document provides a framework for the Organization to support a variety of legal and administrative processes in the country, from building the capacity of state lawyers to enhancing transparency in procurement.
Afghanistan Expands Gender Violence Taskforce
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in Afghanistan has launched the process of creating ten more units specialized in combatting violence against women. Dubbed ‘EVAW’ from the 2009 law aimed at reducing gender violence, the units are prosecution taskforces.
Mock court course initiated in Kyrgyzstan
Advancing the potential of the judiciary is an important step in generating a rule of law culture in Kyrgyzstan. To encourage this, the USAID-IDLO Kyrgyzstan Judicial Strengthening Program (JSP) held a Moot Trial on April 28, as part of its Mock Court Course at the National Legal Academy in Bishkek.
Boosting East-East Cooperation in Central Asia
For the past ten years, both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have been working toward judicial reform, sharing common challenges along the way. Yet while Kyrgyzstan has opened up to the international community and shown positive change, Tajikistan has been more reluctant.
Pages
Key Initiatives
-
Despite reform efforts undertaken by the Government of Ukraine after the Maidan Revolution in 2014, Ukrainian citizens continue to regard criminal justice stakeholders with deep distrust. In 2019, the presidential and snap parliamentary elections resulted in a shift of the political environment, creating an opportunity to meaningfully advance anti-corruption reforms.
-
In Somalia, alternative justice mechanisms remain the main providers of justice services for lack of formal justice institutions. However, these justice mechanisms can be discriminatory particularly against women, youth and minority clans.
-
Justice within the context of commercial law is premised on the fact that an effective commercial justice system meets and facilitates the specialized needs of the business community and the private sector at large. However, there are persistent challenges related to the dispensation of commercial justice in Kenya.
-
Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, has been devastated by armed conflict since September 2014. The conflict has received limited international coverage and human rights violations and violations under international humanitarian law suffered by the civilian population have been grossly underreported. All parties to the conflict have been linked to serious violations of international law, with inadequate accountability mechanisms in place to ensure justice for victims.
-
With support from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, IDLO collaborated with the Judiciary of Jordan from 2019-2020 to enhance the role of economic courts as key drivers of economic growth. This effort included a comprehensive needs assessment of economic courts, conducted in partnership with legal professionals and business community representatives. The assessment findings informed the development of Jordan’s National Justice Sector Strategy.
Latest Activity
Policy Statements
|