On 31 May, Thursday, ILAC and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) will co-host the seminar “Promoting Complementarity: How Can International Rule of Law Assistance Support Engagement with Customary Justice in Fragile Settings?”.
Date: Thursday, 31 May, 2018
Time: 14.00-16.15
Venue: Sida, Valhallavägen 199, Stockholm
In many fragile and developing countries, formal justice institutions are unable to cover the entire country and may be entirely absent in rural, peripheral areas. Where conflict is a factor, formal justice actors tend to be stretched even more thinly, and face even greater challenges. Recent development standards, including the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States and the Agenda 2030, Goal 16, emphasise the link between sustainable development, rule of law and access to justice. For fragile countries, it is crucial to consider the role that customary actors can play, alongside formal justice sector institutions, in meeting commitments to secure access to justice throughout the country.
In this seminar, ILAC aims to review best practices in this area and explore how international partners can best support such engagement in fragile and conflict-affected countries. The experience of the g7+ group of countries in seeking to promote fragile-to-fragile cooperation on these issues will be particularly valueble in framing this discussion.
Introductory Remarks
- Dr. Helder Da Costa, General Secretary, g7+
- Agneta Johansson, Executive Director, ILAC
- Petra Smitmanis Dry, Head of Peace and Human Security Unit, Sida
Panelists
- Hon. Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone
- HH Kabineh Ja´neh, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia
- Matt Pollard, Senior Legal Advisor, International Commission of Jurists
- Martien Schotsmans, Director, RCN Justice & Démocratie
- Maureen Nahwera, Senior Advisor, Human Rights and Gender, Swedish Embassy in Uganda (via Skype)
- Dr. Veronica L. Taylor, Professor, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University, College of Asia and the Pacific