ILAC has carried out a needs assessment related to rule of law and the justice system in Libya. Between the 16 and 24 of January 2013, a delegation composed of experts selected from ILAC’s member organizations visited Libya to examine the needs of the justice sector, the demands likely to be imposed on it in the context of Libya’s ongoing transition to democracy, and ways in which support might be provided in overcoming these challenges.
The team members were:
Mr. William Meyer, Lawyer, ILAC Chair and Team Leader.
Ms. Elizabeth Howe, Chief Crown Prosecutor England and Wales, and General Counsel of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP).
Dr. Mark Ellis, Executive Director, International Bar Association.
Ms. Marianne de Rooij, Senior Judge District Court Amsterdam, Regional Director for Europe and the Middle East, International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ).
Mr. Rita Reddy, Lawyer, Human Rights and International Law Specialist with extensive UN experience, member of International Senior Lawyers’ Project (ISLP), Geneva.
Mr. Pim Albers, Independent International Expert working with American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI) in Libya and Tunisia, Advisor to the Ministry of Justice, Amsterdam.
Ms. Haidi Ali, Arab Organisation for Human Rights, Senior Researcher, Cairo.
Mr. Rhodri Williams, Lawyer and ILAC Libya Program Manager.
A Mission Report will be written in the weeks following the mission. The report will contain recommendations for support to the justice system. These recommendations will be designed to help the government, NGOs, donors and IGOs identify priority areas for future activities and funding. It will also help in formulating project proposals and capacity building programmes.
In parallel with the assessment mission, training courses were held by the two ILAC member organisations Palestinian Center for Human Rights and Arab Organisation for Human Rights. Among the participants were judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers, and civil society activists.
The assessment mission and the traing were funded by the Swedish development agency, Sida.