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Project profile for Strengthening Access to Justice through Legal Sector Development
| Title | Strengthening Access to Justice through Legal Sector Development |
|---|---|
| Project Number | A033925-PRG |
| Maximum CIDA Contribution | $ 2,979,581 |
| Executing Agency - Partner | Canadian Bar Association |
| Status | Terminating |
| Start - End | 2009 - 2012 |
| Country | |
| Sector(s) | |
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Democratic governance
Legal and judicial development (015130): 100% |
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| Description | |
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The program aims to improve access to justice in the programming countries, particularly for poor and marginalized people, including women. Program implementation takes place in three stages. In the first stage, activities focus on achieving results within the legal professional organizations of each country. The second stage introduces regional programming for legal professional organizations to facilitate joint learning, exchange and fostering of mutually supportive relationships. The third stage brings together the broader range of legal sector stakeholders, including judges, government, academia and civil society organizations to work together to advance access to justice nationally and regionally. The program supports the legal professional associations in each country in one or more of the following: to improve their governance and operational structures; to increase their ability to engage in law reform activities and collaborate with other stakeholders in the justice sector to improve access to justice; to enhance their ability to provide legal aid services; and to strengthen continuing legal education and the professional skills of lawyers through the provision of technical assistance, training and support for local activities. |
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| Expected Results | |
| This is a new feature, part of CIDA's efforts towards increasing transparency. Information will only be available for projects approved after October 15, 2011. For other projects, information on expected results is usually included in the description. | |
| Progress and Results Achieved | |
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Results achieved as of the end of the project (August 2012) include: helping to improve access to justice, and support the development of the rule of law in East Africa by creating National Working Groups made up of representatives of all key justice sector stakeholders in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The National Working Groups achieved different results in each country. In Kenya, the focus was on improving access to justice for children and youth. 460 (237 female, 225 male) children were provided with legal aid services at the Children’s Court in Nairobi, and 119 (84 female, 35 male) children were given psychosocial counselling. In addition, a computer system allowing Children's Court files to be managed electronically was set up to replace the existing paper filing system. This electronic system considerably improved the efficiency of the Court. In Uganda, efforts focussed on improving access to justice for people in remote communities. 77 (18 female, 59 male) paralegals were recruited and trained on basic legal issues. These paralegals are now providing basic legal information and advice to residents in four remote sub-counties in eastern and western Uganda where people previously had no access to legal services. In Tanzania, the focus was on improving access to justice for people living with HIV/AIDS. 161 (136 female, 25 male) people living with HIV/AIDS were given legal aid services in Dar es Salaam by 20 (12 female, 8 male) volunteer Tanzanian lawyers. The program also strengthened the the legal professions in Ethiopia, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic , and Vietnam by improving the capacity of national Bar associations to train their members, enforce the ethics of the profession, and promote access to justice. |
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