Improving Court Administration and Communication Skills at the Tunisian Administrative Court

Responsible member: National Center for State Courts (NCSC)

ILAC and NCSC worked to improve court administration and communication skills at the administrative court to contribute to improved public trust in Tunisian judiciary.

The motivation behind this project came from recent researches showing that Tunisian citizens believe courts protect the interests of the rich and powerful more than those of ordinary people. Additionally, they consider their social and economic rights are not sufficiently addressed. This perception, combined with delays resulting from administrative inefficiency and the large caseloads of Tunisian courts, undermines the ability of the justice system to harness the trust of citizens it needs to function.

Based on the findings of ILAC Tunisian Administrative Tribunal assessment report, this project worked to ensure the effective management of administrative services of the Administrative Court System.

NSCS provided direct support in four areas:

organisation of administrative services;
relationship between the courts and citizens;
case and records management; and
automation.

NCSC’s support included the:

development of a Procedural Manual and information materials for citizens;
improvementof the security and maintenance of records for archived and pending cases; and
management of the case flow and introducing case tracking and hearing scheduling tools.
working with the Administrative Court to develop intra-institutional communication protocols to ensure good collaboration within the Administrative Court system.

NCSC also organised and delivered communication skills trainings to Administrative Court clerks, judges and prosecutors. Each training session addressed verbal and nonverbal communication techniques, conflict management, court user needs, service delivery standards, and other relevant concepts and tools to enable clerks, judges and prosecutors to communicate more effectively with litigants and other court users in their daily function.