5th Quarterly Progress Report: Promoting and Strengthening Justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo Project

The project is divided into four components: Institutional Strengthening, Effective and Accessible Courts, Access to Justice for Vulnerable Populations, and Supplemental Program for Eastern Congo. Component 1, Institutional Strengthening, provided support to the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature (CSM) despite the challenges posed by the lack of a new team. The component team continued to work on the adoption of a Judicial Code of Ethics and Professional Good Practices for Magistrates, collaborating with international stakeholders and organizations. The team also participated in the drafting of the code with the European Union Police Mission (EUPOL) and the United Nations Common Office for Human Rights (BCNUDH). Component 2, Effective and Accessible Courts, worked with relevant authorities to establish an implementation calendar for training programs for magistrates and non-magistrate court personnel. Two training sessions were held in November and December 2009, focusing on 'Ethics, Good Professional Practices, and Responsibilities of Magistrates' and hands-on training for court clerks and prosecutors' secretaries. A comprehensive Initial Training Program for Magistrates was drafted by the Component 2 Leader. Component 3, Access to Justice for Vulnerable Populations, continued to work on the methodologies developed in previous reporting periods. The team signed Memoranda of Understanding in Maniema and Maniema Provinces and delivered furniture and computer equipment to the TGI in Maniema. The pilot court staff identified new forms for development and created a management tool (PACT Tracker) to monitor PACT implementation. Component 4, Access to Justice for Vulnerable Populations, worked with Global Rights to finalize the CSO mapping exercise in Maniema Province. The exercise involved data and information collection on CSO activities, which will be consolidated in ProJustice's CSOs' Resources and Services Guide. ProJustice and Global Rights organized training sessions for CSO representatives in Maniema Province, focusing on Magistrate selection in the DRC, Congolese legislation on sexual violence, and court monitoring. The ProJustice team also signed grant agreements with six CSOs located in Maniema and South Kivu Provinces and conducted grant management sessions with the new grantees. Global Rights carried out training sessions in Kindu to build capacity and train representatives of human rights and civil society organizations based in the province. The Supplemental Program in Eastern Congo worked with counterparts to improve the Performance and Accountability Tracking (PACT) system, with special attention to the two Eastern Provinces. IT equipment and furniture were delivered to Maniema Province as part of the PACT program, complementing ProJustice technical assistance. The ProJustice team met with high-level Magistrates in the South Kivu Province to prepare and plan the forthcoming mobile court hearings. The team also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Court of Appeal in Maniema Province, which foresees quarterly monitoring of inventories of the equipment provided to the courts. The ProJustice project has made significant progress in strengthening the justice system in the DRC, particularly in the areas of institutional strengthening, effective and accessible courts, and access to justice for vulnerable populations. The project has also made significant strides in the Supplemental Program for Eastern Congo, improving the PACT system and providing technical assistance to the courts in the two Eastern Provinces.