Newsletter: August 2012 - January 2013

WJP Launches Most Comprehensive Rule of Law Index to Date

On November 28th, 2012, the WJP unveiled its Rule of Law Index 2012-2013 report, covering 97 countries and jurisdictions, representing over 91 percent of the world's population. The Rule of Law Index continues to be a leading resource. It has been cited by heads of state, chief justices, legal experts, business leaders, government officials, journalists and citizens from around the world as supporting evidence of the need to advance rule of law reforms in their countries.
 

The report's findings have been recently presented to external audiences across the globe, including to stakeholders in Canada, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Singapore, Turkey, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. In the United States, it has been presented at the American Public Health Association, Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford University, the University of Chicago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the World Bank.

100 Countries to Convene at the Fourth World Justice Forum

Held in The Hague, Netherlands, the World Justice Forum is designed to improve the state of the world by engaging business, government, civil society, academic and other leaders to develop practical, multidisciplinary programs to strengthen the rule of law. On 8-11 July 2013, this global gathering will convene 600 delegates from more than 100 countries to debate crucial rule of law issues through plenary sessions, topical panel discussions and working sessions which will focus on shared learning and collaboration. Topics to be addressed include: Youth Leaders, Civil Society and Accountability; Access to Health; Ethical Supply Chains; New Technology and Access to Information; Traditional Justice Systems; and Financial Crisis and Cooperation.

Participation in the World Justice Forum IV is by invitation only. To request an invitation or for more information, please email [email protected].

Empowering Citizens through Grassroots Projects

The WJP received hundreds of project applications to strengthen the rule of law through its 2012 Roderick B. Mathews Opportunity Fund competition, an initiative to incubate and support pilot projects that identify weak rule of law and propose innovative solutions. Through its emphasis on facilitating multidisciplinary action, the Opportunity Fund reaffirms the WJP’s philosophy that everyone is a stakeholder in the rule of law. The Opportunity Fund began in 2008, and has provided over $1,000,000 in financial, research and networking support to interdisciplinary programs operating on five continents, from food security to health care to governance.
 
Winners will be announced this spring, and selected recipients will have an opportunity to present their projects at the World Justice Forum IV in July.

Conversing About the Rule of Law

The new Justice Rising blog features voices from multidisciplinary leaders and sectors from across the globe who are striving to advance the rule of law. Featured contributions include:

• Securing the Rule of Law at the Grass Roots: the WJP Index as a Tool to Improve Protection of Human and Worker Rights by Richard Trumka, President of AFL-CIO
• Malawi: Communities Under Siege by Alice Msowoya, Governance Coordinator at Citizens for Justice, Malawi
• Re-Imagining the Relationship of Citizens to Power-Holders Through “Accountapreneurship” by Blair Glencorse, Executive Director of the Accountability Lab
• Gender justice: The entry point to reforming the post 2015 development agenda by Faustina Pareira, Director of Human Rights and Legal Services at BRAC

To submit posts, email us at [email protected].

Efforts in Tunisia and Afghanistan

Two WJP initiatives are having a real impact in their communities.
 

In Tunisia, activities stemming from the WJP’s workshop in Tunis on 28 May 2012, which convened Tunisian leaders to consider rule of law challenges and opportunities facing the country, continues to foster collaboration. Workshop participants have carried on their discussions and are developing a program to identify the causes of corruption and how these could be addressed by strengthening the rule of law.
 
This year in Afghanistan, Afghan Scouts and police will collaborate on a project called "Peace through Rule of Law," possibly reaching over 2,000 children in five provinces. For more information about this initiative, please visit http://www.afghanscouts.org/.

Support Us!

Your support helps the WJP enhance government accountability, promote fair and stable laws that protect fundamental rights and improve access to justice.

Help us make a difference by supporting this important work with a financial contribution.