Access to Justice Program: Fourth Quarterly Report April to June, 2011

The program was launched on July 8, 2010, with the objective of building upon USAID's long-standing commitment to the strengthening of Colombia's justice sector. The main objective of the AJP is to strengthen justice services in Colombia to ensure access to legal services, improve access to justice, and reduce impunity through five core components: Justice Reform, Court Administration and Management, Justice Houses, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Public Defense. The AJP focuses on extending justice sector services to rural, marginalized regions of Colombia heavily affected by violence, known as consolidation zones. These regions have been identified for integrated, geographically targeted activities designed to consolidate security and development gains. The program continues to work collaboratively with the Government of Colombia and strategic allies to implement its first year work management plan activities. Component 1, Justice Reform, launched information, training, and advocacy activities to enhance civil society capacity and impact in the design of local development plans that incorporate access to justice in CSDI municipalities. The AJP prepared a document articulating the access to justice responsibilities of governors, mayors, and local councils. AJP staff in Meta, Bajo Cauca, and Nariño regions have provided support to local civil society organizations to develop alliances and strategies for putting justice issues before local candidates. The AJP completed the fourth of six regional qualifying rounds of the national mock trial competition sponsored by USAID and the U.S. Department of Justice. The competition has seen an increase in the number of students and diversity of universities participating, with over 600 students from 60 universities participating to date. Component 2, Court Administration and Management, facilitated dialogue between the Colombian judiciary and its counterparts in Spain, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Chile to share lessons learned in implementing innovations to improve court management and administration. The AJP assisted the Colombian judiciary in designing its strategic technology plan and consolidating an agreement with the Ministry of Technology to implement an electronic case filing system in Colombia. A two-day workshop was held for high court judges and court personnel to provide substantive support for working sessions to draft a preliminary plan. The AJP drafted and revised the plan documents as the process evolved and accompanied the Colombian Superior Judicial Council in presenting the plan to the Ministry and in follow-up meetings. The program also facilitated the use of video-conference technology to facilitate dialogue and share experiences in implementing innovations to improve court management and administration. The AJP has made significant progress in its first year, with a focus on extending justice sector services to rural, marginalized regions of Colombia. The program has launched various activities to enhance civil society capacity and impact in the design of local development plans, completed the fourth of six regional qualifying rounds of the national mock trial competition, and facilitated dialogue between the Colombian judiciary and its counterparts in other countries to share lessons learned in implementing innovations to improve court management and administration. The AJP continues to work collaboratively with the Government of Colombia and strategic allies to implement its work management plan activities. The program's focus on extending justice sector services to rural, marginalized regions of Colombia is critical to consolidating security and development gains in these regions.