The Disaster Relief Panel at the World Justice Forum IV examined challenges and possible solutions, as well as new instruments available for providing disaster victims with access to relief services.
Post-disaster environments present local and international governments with myriad complex legal challenges. Panelists examined rebuilding policies and legal bidding for reconstruction, vicarious liability (preventing international assistance), post-event remediation, NGO registrations, measurement of success, issues of land planning, and policy and budgets, as well as public and private approaches to disaster recovery.
Moderator
David Caron, Dean, The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London (United Kingdom)
Panelists
David Fisher, Global Coordinator, Disaster Law Programme, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (USA)
Frank X. Neuner, Jr., Managing Partner, NeunerPate; Chairman, Louisiana Public Defender Board (USA)
Satoru Nishikawa, Director-General Audit, Japan Water Agency (Japan)
Mark your calendar! On October 28th, the World Justice Project will release the 2025 WJP Rule of Law Index®, our flagship measure of how the rule of law is experienced and perceived around the globe.
To strengthen global understanding of access to justice, the World Justice Project has developed the Global Legal Needs Survey (GLNS)—the first effort to collect comparable data on how people experience and resolve legal problems worldwide. Conducted in over 100 countries between 2017 and 2024, the survey captures the voices of more than 100,000 people, shedding light on the most common legal challenges, sources of help, and the real-life impact of justice problems.
On July 2, 2025, the World Justice Project (WJP) was honored to participate in the United Kingdom House of Lords Constitution Committee’s official inquiry into the rule of law. This invitation followed WJP’s written submission and marked an invaluable opportunity to support evidence-based policymaking in the United Kingdom.
It is with incredibly heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of our founder and dear friend, William H. Neukom, known to all of us simply as Bill.
Bill was the driving force behind the World Justice Project (WJP), and his absence leaves a profound void in the soul of our organization. His belief in justice was unwavering. His deep humanity and his remarkable gift for bringing people together—regardless of background or origin—shaped everything we do at WJP.