International Legal Assistance Consortium

Rebuilding Justice Systems

New ILAC Discussion Paper Explores Justice Sector Reform and Prevention in Transitional Settings

ILAC launched today the Discussion Paper on Judges as Peacebuilders: How Justice Sector Reform Can Support Prevention in Transitional Settings.

The first-of-its-kind Paper identifies key lessons showing the critical need in supporting judges as peacebuilders. Although justice systems in transitional settings are frequently badly weakened and tainted by allegations of corruption or complicity in human rights abuses, rebuilding their ability to dispense justice and regaining public trust in their integrity is indispensable to peacebuilding efforts. [Read more…]

Expert in Rule of Law Assistance is ILAC´s New Director for Assessment and Legal Analysis

Richard Sannerholm, ILAC´s Director of Assessments and Legal Analysis

ILAC is delighted to announce Richard Sannerholm as our new Director for Assessments and Legal Analysis.

For the past fifteen years Richard has worked and conducted research in the field of Rule of Law assistance in conflict and post-conflict settings. Richard has focused particularly on developing and implementing assessment and self-evaluation tools in the area of governance and Rule of Law. [Read more…]

Experts conclude investigative mission to support administrative justice reform in Tunisia

ILAC experts and members of the regional administrative chamber of Sousse meet during the mission

 A team of ILAC experts finalised a baseline study this month of the Tunisian Administrative Tribunal´s court administration and rollout of 12 new chambers throughout the country. The mission represents an effort to support the decentralisation and good governance of administrative justice in Tunisia, with the report intended to point towards recommendations for a more enhanced and accountable court administration system.

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International Development and Gender Expert is the New ILAC Syria Programme Manager

ILAC is delighted to announce Guro Wiik as our new Syria Programme Manager. Guro brings to ILAC over ten years’ experience in international development, both from conflict and post-conflict settings. Throughout her career, Guro has had a particular focus on management of programmes on women’s rights and gender equality.

Guro joins ILAC from the United Nations Entity for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (UN Women) Headquarters in New York, where she most recently held the position as Programme Specialist in the Programme Division. [Read more…]

ILAC is hiring a Director of Assessments & Legal Analysis!

The International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC), established in 2002, is a Stockholm-based association for legal practitioners and scholars from around the world who offer expert guidance to countries to rebuild justice systems after conflict. It is in these challenging contexts where through better planning, coordination, and cooperation technical assistance can be more productive, sustainable, and cost efficient. Through its fifty member organisations, ILAC represents over 3 million legal professionals – judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and court administrators – worldwide.

[Read more…]

International Criminal Court Accepts Stockholm Human Rights Award and Calls on International Community´s Cooperation

The Principals of the ICC received the Stockholm Human Rights Award from HM King Carl XVI Gustaf. Photo: Tom Knutson

 The International Criminal Court (ICC) received the 2017 Stockholm Human Rights Award recognising the institution’s outstanding contribution to the rule of law and human rights at a ceremony this week.

The Principals of the ICC – President Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and Registeur Herman von Hebel –accepted the Award collectively from His Majesty the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf.

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Project Unites Syrian and Bosnian Judges for Workshop on Missing Persons and Property Rights

Bosnian and Syrian legal professionals together for workshop about missing persons and property rights

Legal professionals from Syrian and Bosnia and Herzegovina are assembled for a workshop on land issues and missing persons which started last week in Sarajevo. Co-organised by ILAC, this exchange brings together justice sector peers from two countries involved in similar conflicts .

Bosnian legal professionals will share lessons related to the role of the justice system in their peacebuilding process. This project offers Syrian judges and lawyers tools to consider which experiences could apply and work in their context and which ones would have to be addressed differently. [Read more…]

Swedish Foreign Minister appoints ILAC´s Executive Director to Women´s Mediation Network

The Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström recently appointed ILAC´s Executive Director, Agneta Johansson as one of fifteen inspiring women comprising the Swedish Women´s Mediation Network in recognition of her work in peacebuilding and rule of law.

  I am very honoured to have been invited to contribute to the important work of the Women’s Mediation Network. The rule of law is a key component of sustainable peace and must be considered when determining what to include at each step of peace negotiations, says Ms. Johansson.

[Read more…]

Chatham House Hosts Seminar Highlighting ILAC’s Key Findings from 2017 Justice Sector Assessment in Syria

Chatham House and ILAC seminar on ILAC´s Syrian Assessment

Chatham House seminar on The Syrian Justice System

ILAC and Chatham House held a seminar based on ILAC’s 2017 Syria Rule of Law Assessment at Chatham House in London last Wednesday. The panel discussed non-state courts in Syria and their role in areas outside the Syrian government’s control.

Drawing on the assessment findings, ILAC´s Legal Adviser and report writer Mikael Ekman offered an outline of the judicial bodies across Syria and how they differ from the government justice system.

  No effort to build rule of law starts from zero,” said Ekman. “ILAC´s Syria report is an attempt to show what is there in terms of justice sector institutions in all parts of Syria. This is where the reconstruction of Syria will start, irrespective of what a future peace will look like.

[Read more…]

ILAC Successfully Completes Rule of Law & Justice Sector Assessment Mission in Guatemala

Guatemala Rule of Law & Justice Sector Assessment Mission´s Team

Experts team having meeting in Guatemala

ILAC completed a rule of law and justice sector assessment mission in Guatemala on Friday, 20 October 2017. Our team, composed of 8 experts, investigated ongoing efforts to strengthen the rule of law in Guatemala to provide a reliable roadmap for more effective ways forward.

ILAC’s mission comes at a critical moment in Guatemala’s history, when corruption and impunity continue to pose serious challenges despite sustained efforts to reform the judicial system. [Read more…]

ILAC Welcomes the Siracusa Institute as a New Member 

Siracusa Institute ILAC is delighted to welcome the The Siracusa Institute as a new member organisation.

Based in Italy, The Siracusa Institute has been working to contribute to international peace and security through the effective implementation of criminal law and criminal justice, and to promote the rule of law and the protection of human rights in criminal justice systems worldwide.

ILAC’s 2017 Annual General Meeting in Tokyo voted unanimously in favour of the Institute joining our Consortium. [Read more…]

ILAC Welcomes Shane Quinn as Our New Director of Programmes 

ILAC is delighted to announce Shane Quinn as our new Director of Programmes starting today.

Shane Quinn

Shane Quinn, ILAC Director of Programmes

Shane brings to ILAC over 14 years’ experience in rule of law development, public sector governance reform and peacebuilding. He has worked in several international civil society organisations in Sweden and as a consultant in Eastern Europe and Africa.

While in Kenya, Shane managed a peacebuilding programme with civil society partners in conflict analysis and establishing platforms for non-state actors linked to the ongoing peace process in Somalia. Most recently, he co-developed a toolkit in Rule of Law in Public Administration for the UNDP and Folke Bernadotte Academy, where he was the acting Head of Rule of Law Programme. [Read more…]

In Memoriam:  Cherif Bassiouni, International Criminal Law and Human Rights Champion

Prof. Cherif Bassiouni as a United Nations expert on human rights in Afghanistan. Photo: Wikipedia

It is with great sadness that members of ILAC learn of the death of Professor Cherif Bassiouni, who died peacefully at home on 25 September 2017.

Cherif Bassiouni played an influential role in a series of seminars in the late ‘90s that discussed the setting up of ILAC. He was at that time the immensely respected Professor of Law at the DePaul University College of Law.

But he was much more than a legal academic, having served with distinction on a number of United Nations Commissions, notably chairing the Commission of Experts charged with investigating violations of Humanitarian Law in former Yugoslavia, which led to the setting up of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY).  Cherif went on to chair various UN Committees that brought into being the International Criminal Court. More recently he led the Bahrain International Commission of Inquiry and the UN Commission of Inquiry for Libya. [Read more…]

ILAC Honours Mister Hamdi for Contributing with our Work in Tunisia

ILAC offers a give to Mr Mohamed Tahar Hamdi in Tunisia

Mr Mohamed Tahar Hamdi receives a present from ILAC´s Field Coordinator in Tunisia, Ismaël Benkhalifa.

 ILAC offered Mr Mohamed Tahar Hamdi a present in sign of appreciation for his efforts to facilitate the Consortium´s Tunisia Programme. Mr Hamdi is now retiring from his position as Director General of the Judicial Training Institute (ISM). Established in 1985, the Institute provides initial training for judicial auditors and in-service training of magistrates. [Read more…]

ILAC Participates in 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

General Assembly Meeting Room, United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA.

ILAC will send a high-level delegation to attend the 72nd Session in the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York starting today. ILAC’s delegation has been invited to join the g7+ to discuss “Accelerating Progress toward SDG 16 – Vision of Access to Justice for All in Conflict Affected Countries,” an event organised by the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone, Chair of g7+, Timor-Leste, and the g7+ Secretariat.

The General Assembly side-event will provide an opportunity for the g7+ ministers of justice to share their views on addressing priority needs and challenges for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16.

[Read more…]

International Criminal Court to Receive 2017 Stockholm Human Rights Award

The Principals of the International Criminal Court, Registrar Herman von Hebel, President, Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi and Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda. Photo: Micke Lundström

Stockholm, Sweden

ILAC congratulates the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its nomination to receive the 2017 Stockholm Human Rights Award. The prize will recognize the ICC´s work advancing international justice and strengthening respect for human rights.

The International Legal Assistance Consortium, the Swedish Bar Association and the International Bar Association bestow the Stockholm Human Rights Award annually to a person or organisation for outstanding services in the support of human rights and the rule of law. [Read more…]

New Syria Report: Launch Event in Berlin

 

Photo courtesy of: DAV/ Andreas Burkhardt

ILAC continued the public launch of our 2017 Syria Rule of Law Assessment report this month with an event in Berlin hosted by the German Bar Association.

ILAC’s Rule of Law Assessment Report, Syria 2017  provides a baseline for future reconciliation efforts with a comprehensive, publicly available account of the current state of the Syrian justice sector.

The July 14th event featured ILAC’s Executive Director, Agneta Johansson, as well as Stefan von Raumer, lawyer and member of the German Bar Association’s Human Rights Committee.  Both were experts on ILAC’s Syria assessment mission.

[Read more…]

Overview of ILAC/UNIFEM Gender Justice Initiative by Nina Lahoud:  Presented at the Session on “Exploring ILAC Thematic Issues” at ILAC’s 2016 Annual General Meeting on 20 May in Solna, Sweden

Let me begin by saying that, based on my involvement in establishing ILAC’s gender justice initiative with the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), I feel that it is a laudable example of how consensus between two entities on an idea and strategy, rapid buy-in by management, dedicated counterparts on each side, broad outreach, and sustained donor funding can lead to an effective partnership for undertaking targeted activities.  To put this observation in context, I will elaborate on how this initiative was conceived and evolved, which Agneta Johannson and Christian Ahlund know well as the lead ILAC counterparts. [Read more…]

Nina Lahoud Elected to ILAC’s Board of Directors

ILAC is delighted to welcome Nina Lahoud to ILAC’s Board of Directors.  A longtime supporter and ILAC member, Nina will bring over three decades of expertise from the peacekeeping and legal development world, involving numerous United Nations assignments in conflict-affected countries, to our management team.

After leaving the law firm of Shearman & Sterling in 1983 to join the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon/UNIFIL (as the first woman Legal Adviser appointed to a mission), Nina served with the United Nations for over 33 years where she dealt extensively with legal, rule of law, peacekeeping, development and gender matters while serving in various offices at UN Headquarters and in six UN peacekeeping operations deployed in Lebanon, Namibia, Cambodia, Croatia, Kosovo and East Timor at critical historic junctures.  [Read more…]

Syrian Legal Professionals Train on UN Mechanisms   

ILAC co-organised a five-day intensive course on UN human rights and security mechanisms for Syrian legal professionals in Geneva this Spring.

As part of ILAC’s larger Syria Programme, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute  led trainings in Geneva that will sharpen the skills of Syrian legal professionals to help shape resolutions and recommendations on the Syrian crisis in line with international law and UN principles. [Read more…]

Public Seminar in Japan Addresses “A Pivotal Challenge: Building Resilient and Responsive Justice Institutions in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries”

The 2017 ILAC’s Annual General Meeting in Tokyo, Japan, culminated with a public seminar on how rebuilding justice systems can assist developing countries in overcoming fragility and the effects of conflict. The speakers brought a wide range of experience on a very concrete question – what are the challenges and the opportunities presented by the current trend toward inclusion of rule of law and governance goals in contemporary development standards?

[Read more…]

New Report: A Blueprint for Building Criminal Justice Institutions in the Central African Republic

Stockholm, Sweden — The International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) released a new report at the 2017 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development today that recommends how to improve criminal  justice sector institutions in the Central African Republic after years of instability. [Read more…]

ILAC Launches Syria Rule of Law Assessment Report at Sweden’s Permanent Mission to the UN

ILAC Executive Director Agneta Johansson presents new ILAC Syria Rule of Law Assessment report to the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations in New York

ILAC launched its Syria Rule of Law Assessment Report in New York at an event hosted by Sweden’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.  The Swedish Deputy Permanent Representative, Ambassador Irina Schoulgin Nyoni, moderated the April 19 event.

ILAC’s new report explains how justice is administered throughout Syria after six years of conflict and provides a baseline for future reconciliation efforts with a comprehensive, publicly available account of the current state of the Syrian justice sector.

[Read more…]

NEW ILAC REPORT: The Syrian Justice System – Six Years On

Stockholm, Sweden — The International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) today released a new report that explains how justice is administered throughout Syria after six years of conflict. ILAC’s Rule of Law Assessment Report, Syria 2017  provides a baseline for future reconciliation efforts with a comprehensive, publicly available account of the current state of the Syrian justice sector.

“In planning for peace, Syria and the international community will need to base their actions in rebuilding the justice system on what presently exists in Syria today,” said Agneta Johansson, ILAC’s Executive Director and mission leader.  “The breakdown in the government’s control throughout large parts of Syria has led to differences in how justice is administered across the country.  Reinstating a unified system of justice that can uphold the rule of law and provide due process will be a major challenge facing Syria after the war.”

In November and December 2016, ILAC’s nine-person assessment team met with over 100 Syrian legal professionals, civil society actors and international officials. Among those interviewed were approximately 70 Syrian judges and lawyers, who included both those currently practicing law in different parts of Syria, and those who have been forced to flee to neighboring countries due to the conflict.

The team examined the justice sector as it stood before the uprisings in 2011 and used this as a starting point for a comparison of the situation today throughout the country.   [Read more…]

Of Arson & Legal Aid: The Integration of Rule of Law in Peace and Development Policy and Practice

Port au Prince Court of Appeals in Haiti

Court of Appeals of Port au Prince, Haiti. Photo: Christian Åhlund 2005

by Rhodri Williams, Senior Legal Expert, ILAC

One of the common challenges facing rule of law and development practitioners is the need to bridge theory and practice; to demonstrate how concrete context can and should shape the application and the development of international policy and standards, and how international policy and standards can and should have a transformative potential in concrete contexts. In approaching this challenge, it can sometimes be hard to beat a telling anecdote.

[Read more…]

ILAC applauds Tunisian Ombudsman efforts towards democracy

ILAC congratulates the Ombudsman of Tunisia, Mr Abdessattar Ben Moussa, for his outstanding contributions towards democracy. Mr Ben Moussa and ILAC representatives met this month in Tunis, where they reaffirmed their common goal in strengthening rule of law and public trust in the institutions of that country.

The ombudsman is an independent institution created in 1992 that aims to protect the rights of citizens as well as to transform the negative image public administration has amongst citizens. Béji Caïd Essebsi nominated Mr Ben Moussa Administrative Mediator last January. The administrative ombudsman is responsible for considering individual complaints against public institutions and communicating the recommendations to the administrative establishment in order to resolve the dispute.

[Read more…]

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This page is printed from ilacnet.org, Sunday 18th of August 2019
http://www.ilacnet.org/blog/2017/04/03/ilac-applauds-tunisian-ombudsman-efforts-towards-democracy/

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