The World Justice Forum III gathered over 400 world leaders from more than 100 countries and a multitude of professional work disciplines and cultural backgrounds in Barcelona, Spain, on June 20-23, 2011. The WJP was honored by the high patronage of His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain, who served as Honorary President of Forum III.
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The Forum addressed several critical and timely rule of law issues – including promoting fair elections, combatting human trafficking, and reconciling the rule of law with traditional justice systems – through the WJP’s unique approach of multidisciplinary collaboration. Forum speakers included, among others: William H. Gates Sr., Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Morgan Richard Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe; Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland; Adama Dieng, Registrar for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; and Shahira Amin, Egyptian journalist and CNN contributor. The Forum also served as a platform to launch the WJP Rule of Law Index™ 2011 report, featuring data on adherence to the rule of law in 66 countries.
As in other WJP meetings, the focus of Forum III was action. The Forum served as an incubator of new cross-disciplinary programs to advance the rule of law worldwide. Leaders from government, business, education, law, and many other professions collaborated within the Forum’s ten project design sessions, which led to the creation of over 40 interdisciplinary projects. Examples of projects developed at the Forum include: a program that aims to improve understanding of newly created laws in Kosovo; a project to provide strategic litigation on behalf of informal workers in Latin America; and a program to educate teachers about the rule of law in Cambodia and Afghanistan, among many others.
Over the coming months, the innovative ideas that began at the Forum will be implemented in countries around the world. Moving forward, the Forum blog (www.wjp-forum.org/2011/blog) will continue to serve as a medium for strengthening the cross-disciplinary partnerships and project ideas established in Barcelona.
Also at the Forum, the inaugural World Justice Project Rule of Law Award was presented to two individuals. The Award was established to honor leaders that have taken significant steps towards advancing the rule of law from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Award was presented to Arthur Chaskalson, Chief Justice of South Africa (ret.), a visionary pursuer of justice in South Africa who challenged the implementation of apartheid laws; and Aruna Roy, a social and political activist whose organization, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), led the campaign to enact India’s Right to Information Act in 2005.
In addition, the WJP would also like to acknowledge with great appreciation the tireless efforts of the World Justice Forum Host Committee, which graciously embraced the Forum’s mission and provided counsel on both substantive and logistical matters. The Committee was chaired by Ramon Mullerat, former President of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of the European Union (CCBE).
For more information about Forum III, including panel presentations, photographs, speaker biographies, and updates, please visit www.wjp-forum.org.
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WJP Rule of Law Index 2011
The WJP Rule of Law Index™ 2011 report, covering 66 countries and jurisdictions around the globe, was released on June 13, 2011. Findings from this report were presented at the World Justice Forum III in Barcelona, Spain.
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The WJP Rule of Law Index is an innovative quantitative assessment tool designed to offer a comprehensive picture of the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice. It provides detailed information and original data regarding a variety of dimensions of the rule of law, which enables stakeholders to identify a nation’s strengths and weaknesses in comparison to other countries, and track changes over time.
In addition to the original 35 countries indexed in 2010, the Index 2011 report expanded global coverage to include: Bangladesh; Belgium; Brazil; Cambodia; Cameroon; Chile; China; Czech Republic; Estonia; Ethiopia; Germany; Guatemala; Hong Kong, SAR; Iran; Italy; Jamaica; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Lebanon; Malaysia; New Zealand; Norway; Romania; Russia; Rwanda; Senegal; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Venezuela; and Vietnam.
Journalists around the world continue to cite the Index as an authoritative reference on rule of law-related issues. The Index 2011 continues to receive significant media coverage, including the Economist and the Washington Post. Leading newspapers in over 60 countries have also reported on the new Index findings, including the Miami Herald, Vancouver Sun, The Montreal Gazette, The Economic Times (India), the Jakarta Globe, The Jerusalem Post, Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), El Universal (Mexico), Manila Standard Today, Bangkok Post, Agence France Presse, and Reuters.
Since its initial launch in 2010, the Index has been cited by political leaders around the globe to corroborate their identification of strong and weak areas across rule of law dimensions in their countries, including Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong of Singapore. The Index 2011 will continue the WJP’s mission of stimulating discussions on rule of law-related issues and inducing government reform efforts around the world.
The WJP Rule of Law Index™ 2011 report is the second in an annual series. New data will be collected each year for all indexed countries, thus allowing countries to track changes in adherence to the rule of law over time.
To download the report, please visit www.worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index.
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Update on the Asia Pacific Rule of Law Conference 2011: Outcomes
Projects incubated at the WJP’s Asia Pacific Rule of Law Conference in Kuala Lumpur on January 26-28, 2011, are giving life to efforts to strengthen the rule of law in communities across the region. For example, the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) is working across South and Southeast Asia to protect the land rights of vulnerable populations by raising awareness of land-related legislation, building capacity of local communities and land rights defenders to protect their interests, and monitoring implementation of land laws in target countries.
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In Hong Kong, SAR, the Clean Air Network (CAN) is developing an innovative interactive method for monitoring pollution in the Pearl River Selta. Using online tools, CAN will map citizen complaints and photos to fill gaps in environmental reporting and, ultimately, increase awareness and transparency on pollution issues in the region.
Finally, Bishop Richard Randerson of the Anglican Church of New Zealand is forming a multidisciplinary coalition to address the need for penal reform in New Zealand, which has the second highest incarceration rate in the world. The group will raise awareness of the social and monetary costs of current policies and advocate for specific reforms.
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Human Rights Framework in Mexico
A WJP Opportunity Fund grantee project in the Mexican state of Oaxaca held its first labor law clinic on January 4-7, 2011. Given the state’s long history of neglect towards its indigenous communities, coupled with political upheaval and high-rates of economic migration, Oaxaca is a critical region in the fight to advance labor rights for marginalized groups in Mexico. The project was carried out in partnership with the International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI) and the Center for Human Rights and Legal Advice to Indigenous Communities (CEDHAPI A.C.).
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The clinic provided participants with knowledge about the Inter-American Institutions for Human Rights and the legal framework to follow in order to address human rights, improving their capacity to address rights violations through different international instruments and organisms. The clinic was administered by Professor Victor Rodriguez, a lawyer with expertise in the Inter-American system and the United Nations.
As a result of this legal clinic, two Mexican nongovernmental organizations coupled together and requested a topical hearing at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to allow these organizations to address generalized deficiency in the Mexican legal framework, as opposed to only being able to seek reparation on a case-by-case basis, allowing for the rights of laborers to be improved on a mass scale.
The topical hearing took place in Washington D.C. on March 28, 2011.
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HIMA: Conservation Traditions in the Arab World, Community-Based Environmental Justice
The WJP, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL), the United Nations University – Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and the West Asia - North Africa (WANA) Forum, in partnership with the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) recently concluded a three-day regional workshop on Hima governance in Istanbul, Turkey. Hima, which literally means ‘protected area’ in Arabic, is a community-based environmental resource management system that promotes sustainability, conservation, environmental protection, and social justice.
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A policy brief on Hima governance, the first of its kind, was presented and will serve as a tool that can be adapted to meet the needs of local communities. This workshop stemmed out of the WJP’s Middle East and North Africa Rule of Law Conference 2010 and drew representatives from non-governmental organizations, government agencies, universities, and local communities. Participants examined traditional and contemporary approaches in community-based resource management, such as Himas, and protected area management, such as nature reserves.
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A Multidisciplinary Approach to Environmental Justice in Africa
WJP Opportunity Fund grantee Conserve Africa Foundation (CAF) is enhancing knowledge and understanding of environmental rights and justice by establishing Africa’s first broad, cross-disciplinary network relating to environmental justice. The network has over 1,500 members, including a sub-group of environmental law experts, many of whom actively contribute to the English and French-language news blogs covering environmental issues across the continent.
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CAF and its partners are working to ensure that environmental law is addressed at the upper echelons of government, as well as at the grassroots level. Their efforts are timely; Kenya just recently enshrined the “right to a clean and healthy environment” in its new constitution.
CAF also held the first of what it hopes to be an annual training on environmental justice in Africa on June 5th, World Environment Day. This inaugural training was held in Cotonou, Benin. The training brought together a mix of government officials, environmental activists, business professionals, academics, the media, and lawyers.
The training was led by Benin’s Former Director General of the Ministry of Environment and National Parks and a representative of the Benin National Environmental Protection Agency. The four-day workshop was followed by a gathering of civil society organizations to launch a national environmental network in Benin.
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Washington Foreign Law Society Honors WJP Founder
The Washington Foreign Law Society (WFLS) awarded WJP Founder, President, and CEO William H. Neukom the Society's Harry LeRoy Jones Award for Mr. Neukom's important work in advancing the rule of law internationally. The award was given at the Society's annual Gala dinner in Washington, DC on April 28, 2011.
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The Harry LeRoy Jones Award is given annually by the Washington Foreign Law Society to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the development and application of international law. Recent recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer and Sandra Day O'Connor, as well as such leaders as U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, former Secretary of State James Baker, and the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
The WFLS is a non-profit organization that promotes knowledge and understanding of international legal matters.
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The WJP Completes Its First Annual Report
The WJP distributed its inaugural annual report at the World Justice Forum III. The report highlights the WJP’s most significant accomplishments achieved in 2010.
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Other noteworthy sections include the WJP’s milestones of organizational and programmatic development and a media report. The report provides an account of the organization’s history, and the impact the WJP is achieving as evidenced by broad international media coverage.
To view the report, please visit .
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New Additions to the WJP’s Board of Directors
The WJP welcomes Sheikha Al-Misnad and Mondli Makhanya as the newest members of its Board of Directors.
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A leading educator for three decades, Professor Al-Misnad assumed the presidency of Qatar University in 2003. In addition, she has played a key role in the reform of primary, secondary, and private education in Qatar. Professor Al-Misnad has also been selected as a member of the United Nations University Council (UNU) and was awarded an honorary doctorate in Civil Law by Durham University.
Mr. Makhanya is the Editor in Chief of Avusa Media, one of South Africa’s largest newspaper companies, as well as the chairman of the South African National Editors’ Forum's (SANEF) and the deputy chairman of the All Africa Editors’ Forum.
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American High School Students Address the Rule of Law
In the state of North Carolina, U.S.A., the second annual High School Rule of Law Conference was held on March 7, 2011. This civics program, called "It's Your Law Too: Understanding How the Rule of Law Impacts You," challenged high school students to explore how the rule of law affects and enriches the lives of everyone in their communities.
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The program was conceived by Raleigh News & Observer Publisher Orage Quarles III and Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina Mark D. Martin, and included a panel discussion in which community leaders addressed their roles in fostering, interpreting, and enforcing the rule of law, and small group discussions with legal professionals. Opening and closing remarks were given by Dean Melissa A. Essary of the Campbell Law School.
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WJP New Co-Sponsoring Organizations
The WJP is pleased to announce new additions to its network of non-financial co-sponsoring organizations: Arab Center for the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI); Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF); World Council of Religious Leaders (WCRL); and World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO).
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