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(Following is the first post in a two-part series on land rights and the rule of law, as shared with us by WJP Strategic Partner Landesa.) More than 17 million rural families—children, women and men—across India are invisible. They are invisible to the government and to society because they do not own any land. They do not appear in any government records and that means they cannot access a wide variety of existing and new government services.

At World Justice Forum IV, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg moderated a discussion with esteemed panelists Former Chief Justice of Brazil, Ellen Gracie Northfleet, and Iranian human rights activist and 2013 WJP Rule of Law Award winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi. Their talk focused on a variety of rule of law issues,  including human rights, promoting equal access to justice, establishing or reestablishing transparent institutions and systems, and equal access to the health system. 

At World Justice Forum IV, moderator John Oldfield, CEO of WASH Advocates, led paneslists Gidon Bromberg (Director, Friends of the Earth Middle East, Israel); Anders Jagerskog (Director of KNowledge Services, Stockholm International Water Institute, Sweden); Ebele Okeke (Water & Sanitation Hygiene Ambassador for Nigeria); and Scott Rickards (President, Waterfund LLC, USA) in a riveting discussion focusing on promoting better access to safe drinking water, the role of technology and governments in water management and infrastructure, and the importance of water safety in orde

Last Monday, the UN released its second annual World Happiness Report. Encouragingly, the report showed that the world has overall become a slightly happier and more generous place over the past five years. This made us curious; how does a country’s happiness compare to its level of rule of law and how might these two concepts be related?

At the World Justice Forum IV, top Islamic scholars Dr. Bawa Jain, Secretary-General of the World Council of Religious Leaders, Professor Mahmoud Hekmatnia of the Islamic Research Institute for Culture & Thought (Iran), Mr.

On July 9, 2013, the World Justice Forum IV opened to a dynamic multidisciplinary panel featuring leaders from across disciplines, regions, and generations. Discussants spoke about how the rule of law serves as the foundation of functional societies, and its role in safeguarding and expanding human dignity for all. 

"We've got a lot of work to do. It's good work. Let's get to it." - William H. Neukom, Founder & CEO, The World Justice Project

A look around the world at the latest rule of law events taking place in September: New round of Kosovo Dialogue A new round of  talks between the Republic of Serbia and the partially recognised Republic of Kosovo will take place on September 8th, 2013. The Belgrade–Pristina negotiations began in March 2011, and they are the first negotiations between the two entities since Kosovo declared independence.

The excerpt below comes from our Innovations in Rule of Law - A Compilation of Concise Essays report produced by WJP and Hiil.

The practice of female genital cutting, or female genital mutilation (FGC/M), has been in existence for centuries. Although oftentimes associated with Islam, the practice does not fall under Sharia law and is not practiced by many Islamic groups. Additionally, many non-Muslim communities utliize the practice.

Providing access to justice is the lifework of human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, rule of law heroine, and the face of Zimbabwe's legal governance crisis, as depicted in feature documentary film "Beatrice Mtetwa and the Rule of Law." In spite of beatings by police, Beatrice Mtetwa has courageously defended

Blair Glencorse from the Accountability Lab reports on corruption and accountability in Liberia for the 10th anniversary of peace. This article originally appeared on Article Arguments Online posted here.    A decade ago on August 18th, 2003, the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement brought Liberia’s 14 year civil war to an end.

At World Justice Forum IV, panelists Jimmie Briggs, founder of the ManUp Campaign; Sabiha Husic, director of MedicaZenica; renowned scholar and activist Nawal el Saadawi; and Angela Pinzon, Professor of Medicine at University El Rosario, examined the relationship between the status and rights of women and the pervasive health issues that they face, discussing efforts to improve access to health services, clean water and sanitation, as well as commodities in the supply chain to integrate services of health, education and nutrition.

On August 12, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was honored with the 2013 ABA medal, its highest honor, in recognition of “distinguished service by a lawyer to the cause of American jurisprudence.”   “I am so deeply grateful to you for this award, and I am humbled by those who have received it in the past, to join their company in some small measure, to continue the work that the ABA has championed,” said Secretary Clinton.

Last week, the Skoll World Forum, in partnership with WJP and Thompson Reuters Foundation, launched a special series on global justice featuring participants of our World Justice Forum IV (convened last month in The Hague, Netherlands). Speakers were asked to reflect on a wide range of issues including land rights, access to water, criminal justice, and more.   The series concluded today and can be found here: Skoll World Forum: A Special Series on Global Justice.

Since June 30, when millions of Egyptians took to the street in protest, Egypt has found itself in another period of political instability with a tragic loss of life and intense turmoil.

At World Justice Forum IV our panel food experts Angus Kelly of Syngenta; Roy Prosterman, Founder of Landesa; Anne Roulin, VP - R&D Sustainability Manager of Nestlé; and Irit Tamir, Senior Campaigns and Advocacy Advisor, Oxfam discussed opportunities to build a better food system, how to ensure greater economic prosperity, how to develop a better life for impoverished farmers, and how to achieve more stable food system for generations to come.

On day two of the World Justice Forum IV, past opportunity fund grantees spoke about their projects and their journey from idea to implementation, collaboration to collective advancement.    Moderated by Sandra Elena, Justice Program Director at CIPPEC and manager of the FORES project (2008), panelists included Matthew Bugher, Myanmar Project Manager at Justice Base; Ruha Devanesan, Executive Director at PeaceTones; Marnie Gustavson, Executive Director at PARSA; Zanaa Jurmed, Coordinator at national CEDAW Watch Network; and Nemata Ma