Access to Justice and the Rule of Law: The Next 25 Years

Access to justice requires the existence of independent, accountable, and functional justice institutions that are capable of serving citizens’ justice needs in a fair, effective, and efficient manner. Yet, courts and other justice sector institutions throughout the world face common challenges, such as insufficient professionalism and integrity, inadequate resources, overwhelming backlogs and delays, unwillingness to embrace a service-oriented role, and the resulting lack of public trust in the formal system. This panel will explore various top-down approaches to creating, reforming, and strengthening the capacity of judiciary and other rule of law institutions. What does it take to put in place a framework that ensures a steady supply of justice services to adequately meet the society’s growing demand for justice? What innovations have been tried in the past, how have they fared, what were the factors driving their success or failure, and what other measures might be tried in the future? How can leaders in government, civil society, and the donor community effectively draw upon their knowledge and experience, so that the most effective justice delivery models can be institutionalized and standardized worldwide?