Thematic Area: Democratic Governance
Strengthening the Justice System of Afghanistan (SJSA) Project
Provinicial Justice Coordination Mechanism (PJCM) Project
Access to Justice at the District Level (AJDL) Project
[Last Updated August 2009]
Projects Start Date: SJSA January 2006, PJCM July 2008, AJDL November 2005.
Projects End Date: June 2009 (the project will continue as one of the component of the second phase of justice projects (JHRA, justice and Human Rights in Afghanistan Project)
Projects Location: Activities being undertaken throughout Provinces and Districts in Afghanistan. Such as in Kabul; Provinces of Heart, Kunduz, Paktia, Kandahar, and Nangarhar; and Districts in Provinces of Balkh, Herat, Baghlan, Jawzjan, Kunduz, Samangan, Badakhshan, Takhar and Nangarhar.
The JHRA (next phase of the project) will cover some more provinces which will be selected after the approval of the project board in July 2009.
Implementing Partners : Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court, Office of Attorney-General and UNAMA.
UNDP is providing support to the justice sector in Afghanistan through the three Projects of Strengthening the Justice System of Afghanistan, support to the Provincial Justice Coordination Mechanism and the Access to Justice at the District Level. These projects are currently scheduled to end in June 2009. UNDP is currently consulting with the Implementing Partners and Donors in the design of a programme for further capacity development assistance and extension of some of the current activities.
Strengthening the Justice System of Afghanistan
Background: Building on the successes of the previous project ‘ Rebuilding the Justice Sector of Afghanistan’ and to address the then challenges in the justice sector, the three permanent justice institutions of Afghanistan and UNDP entered into agreement in November 2005 to implement the project Strengthening the Justice System of Afghanistan (SJSA). This follow-on programme commenced on 1 January 2006 and was designed to assist the Government of Afghanistan in achieving the priorities and benchmarks for the rule of law and justice highlighted in the Interim Afghan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS). The programme consists of six key components: (1) support to the Government of Afghanistan for the development and implementation of a detailed strategy based on the ‘ Justice for All’ framework; (2) strengthening institutional capacity of the Ministry of Justice; (3) strengthening institutional capacity of the Office of the Attorney General; (4) strengthening institutional capacity of the Supreme Court; (5) strengthening institutional capacity of the legal education institutions; and (6) rehabilitation of physical facilities for the justice sector. However due to changed national engagement and political commitment to the ‘Justice for All’ framework, there was a necessity to refocus the project activities. In particular, following the Rome Conference on Justice and Rule of Law in Afghanistan held in July 2007 there was a commitment to draft a consolidated National Justice Sector Strategy (NJSS) and an associated National Justice Programme (NJP).
Achievements: The SJSA Project was actively engaged in providing significant support to this drafting and editing process of the NJSS and NJP. The NJSS and NJP were approved by the Government of Afghanistan in March 2008.
Future Priorities: Also at the Rome Conference on Justice and Rule of Law in Afghanistan held in July 2007 the Government of Afghanistan identified 15 Quick Impact Projects. The SJSA Project is implementing two of these projects with funding provided by Canada (Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada) through the Global Peace and Security Fund. The first project addresses the need for public legal awareness and a better public perception of the justice system. This need will be addressed through delivering public legal awareness campaigns with messages targeted at both the general public at a specific target populations (such as religious leaders, women, young people and displaced people); and through strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Justice to play an appropriate role going forward in ensuring on-going public legal awareness initiatives. The second project addresses the need for more legal texts and materials in Dari and Pashtu. This need will be addressed through the establishment of a Translation and Publication Unit within the Supreme Court that will provide interpretation and translation services for legal materials, also providing assistance in setting the standards for court interpreters and coordinating with other translation units to advance Afghan legal translation capacity. The SJSA Project has also continued to provide general technical and capacity development support to the Ministry of Justice, Attorney General’s Office and the Supreme Court. A particular focus of work, in conjunction with UNAMA and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, has been support to the Ministry of Justice to prepare a strategy and project proposal for the establishment of a Human Rights Support Unit within the Ministry of Justice. Resource mobilization for this project activity is currently underway.
Progress Report Quarter 2 2009
Progress Report Quarter 1 2009
Annual Progress Report 2008
Project Document
Progress Report Quarter 2 2008
Progress Report Quarter 2 2008 Annex 1 AWP
Progress Report Quarter 2 2008 Annex 2
Progress Report Quarter 2 2008 Annex 3
Progress Report Quarter 2 2008 Annex 4
Progress Report Quarter 3 2008
Progress Report Quarter 3 2008 Annex 1 CDR
Progress Report Quarter 1 2007
Progress Report Quarter 2 2007
Progress Report Quarter 3 2007
Annual Report 2006
Provincial Justice Coordination Mechanism
Background: A further initiative that arose from the J uly 2007 Rome Conference on Justice and Rule of Law in Afghanistan was agreement that in order to support rule of law reform and ensure the coordinated delivery of justice assistance in the provinces, and consistent with the NJSS and NJP, a Provincial Justice Coordination Mechanism be established. Responding to this need the Provincial Justice Coordination Mechanism (PJCM), a joint UNDP and UNAMA Project, was launched on 1 July 2008 and is funded by USA, Canada, Italy and Germany. The PJCM Project is designed to assist the Afghan Government systematically expand rule of law beyond Kabul and improve the delivery of justice assistance in the provinces. In relation to the delivery of justice assistance, the project’s approach and strategy aim to achieve (1) effective coordination of donor assistance programmes at a central, regional and provincial level, (2) identification of, and mobilizing resources for, future justice assistance to the provinces, (3) comprehensive regional assessments of formal and informal justice systems in each PJCM area, (4) facilitation of communication and information sharing between the Afghan Government and the international community, and (5) transfer of expertise and strengthening the capacity of government officials to manage coordination within the justice sector in the future.
Achievements: The PJCM Project has established field units in eight regions where there is an existing UNAMA regional office. The PJCM Project team in each region comprises an International Regional Justice Coordinator (PJC), a National PJC and one National Administrative assistant/Interpreter. PJCM staff members in six of the eight regions are sponsored by international donors through UNDP, namely in Jalalabad ( USA), Gardez ( USA), Kandahar ( Canada), Herat ( Italy), Kunduz ( Germany) and Kabul Central Field Office ( USA). UNAMA sponsors and staffs the PJCM units in Bamyan and Mazar-e-Sharif field offices, and the Project Coordinator and team stationed at the UNAMA Rule of Law Unit in Kabul. These field units have been actively engaged in coordination activities and the gathering of information for assessments, and capacity development of provincial justice officials in the area of managing coordination.
Future Priorities:The PJCM Project is currently finalizing a report that identifies both the key needs of the criminal justice system in the provinces of Afghanistan and provides comprehensive overview of donor projects in the provinces in the area of justice sector reform with recommendations to be made to Government and Donors. The PJCM Project will also undertake other assessments and reports.
PJCM Project Document
Progress Report Quarter 2, 2009
Progress Report Quarter 1, 2009
Annual Progress Report 2008
Progress Report Quarter 3, 2008
Access to Justice at the District Level
Background: In November 2005, the three permanent justice institutions of Afghanistan and UNDP agreed on the implementation of the Access to Justice at the District Level (AJDL) Project with funding provided by the European Commission and Italy. The AJDL Project aims at improving access to justice at the district level in Afghanistan and strengthening the citizens’ capacity to claim their rights by utilizing the existing justice delivery systems and simultaneously enhancing the capacity of justice delivery system actors to perform and deliver in compliance with the rule of law and human rights standards. The AJDL Project adopts the Human Rights Based Approach. Project activities include awareness raising through trainings and seminars for state justice officials, community leaders, religious leaders, school teachers and students, and the general public and villages throughout districts in Afghanistan. The Project also undertakes rehabilitation works of existing Justice Facilities at provincial and district levels.
Achievements: The AJDL project has completed activities in districts in the provinces of Balkh, Heart, Baghlan, Jawzjan, Kunduz, Samangan, Badakhshan, Takhar and Nangarhar in partnership with the implementing partners of:
Saba Media Organization working in the area of p ublic awareness raising through radio programs on access to formal and informal justice systems in Afghanistan and human rights.
Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, Humanitarian Assistance Muska and Basic Education and Employable Skill Training working in the area of improving legal rights awareness education in schools, targeting teachers and pupils.
Afghan Human Rights Organization and The Educational and Training Centre for poor woman and girls of Afghanistan in the areas of increased justice awareness of religious leaders through undertaking seminars and consultations addressing issues related to women, children, and disadvantaged groups.
International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Studies and Afghan Human Rights Organization working in the areas of legal awareness raising with community leaders on land law and family and personal status law.
Afghan Human Rights Organization working in the areas of legal awareness raising for state justice officials on the protection of women, children and disadvantaged groups in criminal law; also land law and family and personal status law, and raising awareness of the constitutional guarantee of the right to defense counsel in criminal proceedings.
The Civil Society Development Centre working in the area of raising awareness on human rights and administration of justice at villages throughout the districts.
The AJDL Project has also undertaken rehabilitation of seventeen justice facilities (including courts, detention centers, and prosecutor offices) in districts in the provinces of Balkh and Heart and is currently undertaking rehabilitation of a further ten justice facilities in districts in the provinces of Baghlan, Jawzjan and Kunduz.
Future Priorities: Currently an assessment process is underway to identify further justice facilities, with a focus on detention centers, for rehabilitation in districts in the provinces of Kunduz, Balkh, Baghlan, Jawzjan, Badakhshan, and Takhar
AJDL Project Document
Progress Report Quarter 2, 2009
Progress Report Quarter 1 2009
Annual Report 2008
Annual Report 2007
Progress Report Quarter 2 2008
Progress Report Quarter 3 2008
Partnerships and Resources
SJSA: Overall Budget – USD 3,977,409
PJCM: Overall Budget – USD 3,181,790
AJDL: Overall Budget – USD 7,200,000
Donors :
SJSA: DFAIT, Netherland, Norway, Denmark UK and Swiss
PJCM: Germany, Italy, USA, and Canada
AJDL: EC and UNDP
UNDP Focal Points
Christine Fowler , Project Manager (christine.fowler@undp.org )
Heather Barr , Senior Programme Officer ( heather.barr@undp.org )
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