Peru VillagerWhen you think of “the rule of law,” you probably don’t picture musicians working with lawyers to ensure their intellectual property rights, or health workers in Cameroon tackling corruption in free clinics, or environmentalists in China working with victims of pollution to hold dirty industries accountable. 

Yet that approach—bringing together people who rarely interact with one another in order to create innovative, local approaches for advancing the rule of law—is exactly what inspired me to join the World Justice Project (WJP) two years ago.

Most people know of WJP for its measurement of how the rule of law is experienced in everyday life through the WJP Rule of Law Index, or for its World Justice Forum, which draws leaders from around the world. Fewer people know that a key focus of WJP’s work at convenings like the Forum is to bring together a network comprising experts from different geographies, professions, and issue areas to create practical solutions where the rule of law is weak or broken.

By acting as an incubator for new ideas from unlikely sources and collaborators, we have helped our network create hundreds of practical approaches for advancing the rule of law. The best of those ideas have become pilot programs supported by seed grants, peer networking, and other connections.

Since its founding, WJP has provided network connections and over $1,000,000 in seed funding to 80+ pilot programs on five continents. These practical, community-led solutions to issues including discrimination, corruption, environmental rights, and more represent a broad cross-section of approaches to the rule of law. Even more unusual is that these pilot programs are often created and led by non-traditional actors outside of the justice sector—artists, engineers, doctors, etc.—bringing new ideas to the table and strengthening civic engagement.

While describing these efforts is helpful, we became convinced that showing them through first-person interviews and documentary photography was an even more effective way to bring them to life. So to share our insights into the successes and challenges faced by WJP-supported pilot programs, and to encourage others to adapt or replicate these ideas, I am excited to announce that we have just launched a photo essay series featuring these programs, beginning with a look inside an attempt to change laws through environmental reporting in Peru. 

Stay tuned for more as we continue the series throughout the year, posting updates to this blog and our social media channels with each new release.

Radha Friedman The World Justice Project
title bar

Read More

title bar

Strengthening Equal Rights and Non-Discrimination at the World Justice Forum 2022 and Beyond

In recent years equal rights and non-discrimination protections have weakened, putting at-risk groups in danger of further erasure and marginalization. The 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index points to a rise in discrimination during the pandemic, with 70% of countries and jurisdictions having declined in equal treatment and absence of discrimination. Vulnerable groups already exposed to systemic inequality—such as the LGBTQI+ community, children with disabilities, women, and ethnic and racial minorities—were further marginalized during the crisis, and continue to be left out of solutions to “build back better.” At the World Justice Forum 2022, equal rights leaders, activists, and academics came together to discuss the increasing challenges these groups face, as well as promising solutions to address them.

Read More

How Data Drives Justice Around the World: Hear from Leaders Who Use the WJP Rule of Law Index

Every year, the WJP Rule of Law Index takes a detailed look at adherence to rule of law principles around the world. This year’s Index covers 140 countries and jurisdictions and contains data on eight factors that make up the rule of law, including fundamental rights, absence of corruption, and criminal justice.   Insights from the 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index show that adherence to rule of law fell in 61% of countries this year. Globally, this means that 4.4 billion people live in countries where rule of law has declined over the past year.   Rule of law impacts our rights, our safety, our well-being, and our access to justice. The WJP Rule of Law Index provides original data annually on people’s experiences with and perceptions of rule of law in 140 countries and jurisdictions around the world, making the Index a valuable resource for policymakers, business leaders, and advocates. 

Read More

WJP Rule of Law Index 2022 Global Press Release

WASHINGTON (Oct. 26, 2022) – For the fifth year in a row, the rule of law has declined globally, according to the 2022 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index®. The World Justice Project’s analysis of in-depth survey data in 140 countries and jurisdictions shows that adherence to the rule of law fell in 61% of countries this year.

Read More