Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project (JuST) Quarterly Report for July – September 2014

The project is part of ongoing U.S. support to the rule of law and good governance in Albania, with an emphasis on improving justice delivery and increasing public demand for accountability in the justice sector. JuST works in three strategic areas. First, it aims to increase court transparency, fairness, and efficiency through direct support to the courts in establishing systems for producing and making available verbatim records of legal proceedings. This includes implementing digital audio recording capability for all Albanian courts, which is a measure of Albania's progress toward meeting EU standards on the rule of law. The project has made significant progress in implementing digital audio recording capability. By the end of the quarter, JuST had equipped 112 courtrooms in 25 separate courthouses. JuST staff had trained 249 judges, 384 court support staff, and 22 judicial inspectors in the Ministry of Justice and the High Council of Justice. The project also organized the fifth regional court leadership conference on audio recording in the Gjirokaster Appellate District, which was attended by virtually all judges and court staff from the district courts of Permet, Saranda, and Gjirokaster, as well as the appellate court for the District. In addition to improving court operations, JuST is also working to promote accountability from the "grass roots" level by bolstering the watchdog and anticorruption roles of civil society organizations and the media. This includes capacity development for the Union of Albanian Judges, a Justice and Good Governance CSO Grants Program, and a Justice Reporting Fellows: Training and Independent Venue for Investigative Journalists program. The project has also made progress in strengthening the legal profession and legal education. This includes developing and implementing a Continued Legal Education (CLE) program, establishing a Bar Journal with the National Chamber of Advocates to publish regularly, and implementing a Clinical Legal Education Program. Overall, the Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project is making significant progress in improving the justice delivery system in Albania. The project's efforts to increase court transparency, fairness, and efficiency, promote accountability, and strengthen the legal profession and legal education are all contributing to a more just and equitable society in Albania.