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"We do not have the tools and instruments to stop big companies buying land. Land acquisitions are a reality. We can't wish them away, but we have to find a proper way of limiting them. It appears to be like the wild west and we need a sheriff and law in place." - Food and Agriculture Organization Director General José Graziano da Silva, The Guardian , October 29, 2012.

I recently attended proceedings for a dozen detainees who were being held by the National Directorate of Security (“NDS”) for charges relating to national security.

The international “rule of law community” now has about 30 years of experience in helping countries establish, maintain and improve the rule of law over time.  The fact that countries are continuing to seek expertise from outside their borders as a way to move forward on their national rule of law agendas is encouraging and reason for concern at the same time.  It is encouraging as it demonstrates the importance which countries attach to this area of governance.

It is two years since the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law was set up. Its director, Sir Jeffrey Jowell, talks about its work to Frances Gibb.

The Justice Rising Blog aims to highlight grassroots organizations who are stiving to advance the rule of law. If you would like to highlight your organization, send us an email at [email protected]!  Name of Organization : Community Empowerment and Development Team (CEDT) Title of Project: Participatory Technical Community Mapping and Action Planning: A Grassroots Approach towards Securing Tenure in Poor Communities in Cambodia.

The World Justice Project and community of rule of law advocates around the world mourn the passing on Saturday of the Hon Arthur Chaskalson, former Chief Justice of South Africa and leading champion for freedom and democracy.  

This paper will describe the impact of efforts to build the capacity of both “mobile” and traditional “bricks and mortar” courts in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to handle cases involving sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), including those that rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity under international and Congolese law.

The biggest hurdle to any quality grassroots programme is funding. I have met many Cambodians in my capacity as a lawyer, or working with the schools in the education system, who are doing great things in areas such as youth, community development, fair trade and education. These programmes relate to fundamental human rights. I have tried to help them with funding applications, but they have to have strategic plans, budgets and they really have no capacity to do all the work required while trying to run their programmes on virtually nothing.

In the last three years, fines for violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) – under which corporations with ties to the US face criminal penalties for paying bribes to foreign government officials – have exceeded $2.1 billion.  Yet, beyond showing that the US and others are taking seriously the governance failures that frustrate citizens everywhere, the fines create an opportunity to stamp out corruption.

Economic growth is a recent historical phenomenon. In 1776 when Adam Smith published “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” 75% of humanity lived on less than a dollar a day and the average per capita income was about US$ $550 – an income level that was stagnant for 2,000 years.

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the demand from donors to demonstrate the impact of United Nations (UN) initiatives across all sectors, including rule of law programming. The importance of measurement is recognised at the highest levels of the UN, as the following quote from a 2011 report of the Secretary-General illustrates:

A measurement revolution has taken place in the fields of governance, justice, and the rule of law. Not only have the quality and amount of available data exponentially increased in the past two decades, but more importantly, the knowledge about precisely how to effectively use these data to advance reform in the field has greatly improved. This paper offers a brief account of progress made and lessons learned during the past two decades in the rapidly growing field of rule of law measurement, and offers some suggestions about remaining shortcomings and the path forward.

"Morocco’s forceful attempt to annex Western Sahara constitutes one of the most egregious violations of the international order codified in the wake of World War Two. The United Nations was founded to prevent the aggressive expansion of territory by force. Yet in Western Sahara, the Security Council has turned a blind eye to Morocco’s blatant contravention of the UN Charter.”

Saudi women are taking charge in promoting religious, political, social, economic and educational change in their economically, religiously and strategically influential country.  As they become more educated and informed of regional and global developments and trends, many Saudi women are becoming increasingly disenchanted with their social conditions and impatient with their government’s policies against them.

It is difficult to drum up widespread, grassroots political support for the rule of law.  In the eyes of many people, the rule of law does not put food on the table.  Worse still, the law can be a source of oppression.  Governments and law-enforcement officials can and do commit crimes.  The role of law in our Apartheid history is an awful example. Understandably, not all South Africans hold the law in high regard.

‘The root of the problem is that instead of fighting for economic equality, women became satisfied by compliments on the effectiveness and vitality of the juggling act’.  Save the Children recently published its 13th report ranking the state of mothers worldwide. The report uses data from the United Nations and World Health Organization to rank the education, wages and health of women and mothers in different nations. Israel is ranked the 45th best country to raise children, out of 165 countries studied.

The press reports concerning the re-emergence of vigilantism in the form of Cape Flats kangaroo courts, some involving children too, suggest that it is time to consider some of the causes of vigilantism. It is worthwhile to reflect upon the conditions in society which give rise to the levels of frustration, and indeed anger, which permit vigilantism to flourish when ordinary folk take the law into their own hands.

The international development community has long been dedicated to strengthening the “rule of law.” And with good reason. It is generally accepted that unless people are equal before the law and entitled to its benefits, sustainable economic growth, a vibrant and transparent political process, and effective human rights protections, just don’t happen. In fact, they are threatened.