Effective Rule of Law Program Quarterly Progress Report (April 1 – June 30, 2012)

by USAID. The program aims to strengthen the independence, accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of the justice system in Kosovo, as well as bolster public confidence in the rule of law by increasing public knowledge of and participation in the justice system. The program has four objectives: to improve the effectiveness of justice sector institutions, increase the efficiency of court operations, improve the professionalism of justice system actors, and increase citizen awareness and role in ensuring the delivery of justice. To achieve these objectives, the program has implemented a range of activities, including assisting the Kosovo Judicial Council and Kosovo Prosecutorial Council to develop plans for the transition to new court and prosecutorial system structures, evaluating obstacles faced by members of minority communities in accessing the courts, and supporting the Ministry of Justice to enhance the skills of lawyers responsible for policymaking and international legal cooperation. In Year 2 Q1, the program built upon Year 1 efforts and implemented a robust combination of trainings and workshops for counterparts, some aimed to meet pressing needs and others designed as long-term capacity building. Program highlights for Year 2 Q1 include training associated with Year 1 Q1 activities that involved a total of 855 participants, 47 members of minority communities participated in these training activities. Efforts to institutionalize and improve standards of ethics and conduct in the judiciary resulted in a jointly-funded Study Tour to the United States. The program has also made progress in implementing the Model Courts Program, which involves selecting courts for participation and launching participatory processes for planning court refurbishments and operational improvements. Solicited services of Architecture and Engineering firms have been used to design and oversee court refurbishment projects. The program has also assessed the Kosovo Judicial Institute's curricula and capacity to educate and train sitting judges and prosecutors, as well as candidates for these important positions. In addition, the program has delivered professional development programs to train judges, professional legal staff, and court personnel from the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Kosovo, District Courts, Municipal Courts, and Minor Offenses Courts from regions throughout Kosovo. The program has also commenced the process of training instructors to teach Legal English Language for Research and Legal Analysis courses to KJI attendees. The program has also assisted all counterparts to enhance public outreach and media relations through mentoring of spokespersons and development of new websites. The program has evaluated the preparedness of 24 NGOs and educational institutions to participate in court monitoring and public awareness activities, and prepared documentation and action plans for a grant solicitation to fund civil society activities. The program's progress is broken down by component to demonstrate the mutual contributions of component activities to objectives and expected results under each component. The program has made significant progress in implementing its activities and has achieved a strong foundation of productive relationships with counterparts and progress toward expected results in each objective area.