Contributing to sustainable development objectives by strengthening access to justice

  • Objective: the project aims to contribute to the creation, by all actors, working in a coordinated manner, of a sustainable framework for ensuring access to independent and quality justice for everybody, and thereby, to work towards strengthening the rule of law. More specifically, the program aims to support and promote the realization of people’s rights through their participation in effective conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms, thus promoting the rule of law and good governance.
  • There is a need to re-establish a link between populations and justice, taking into account the practices/actions of actors and, indeed, supporting both formal justice and more innovative/pragmatic mechanisms, such as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) implemented by a number of actors at a local/community level.
  • There are three dimensions to the project’s activities:
    • Strengthening people’s participation in processes for preventing and resolving conflicts, by strengthening their power to act
    • Strengthening formal and “alternative” justice mechanisms and actors to ensure that they are accessible, effective, and transparent
    • Strengthening coordination and collaboration between the different actors and mechanisms operating in the sector, in order to ensure a holistic approach to protecting people’s rights
  • Geographic areas of intervention: across DRC, with a particular focus on the city-province of Kinshasa, North-Kivu, and Kongo-Central
  • Partners: Goma Bar Association, Matadi Bar Association, Commission Diocésaine Justice et Paix (Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission, CDJP), and Dynamique des Femmes Juristes
  • Funding: Belgian Development Cooperation
  • Budget: EUR 2,194,209
  • Duration: 5 years (January 2017 > December 2021)