Eleventh Quarterly Progress Report: USAID/PROMOTING AND STRENGTHENING JUSTICE IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO PROJECT

Major accomplishments during the reporting period include the support provided to the High Judicial Council (Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature; CSM) in finalizing key documents, including the Judiciary Modernization Plan, the 2011-2016 Judiciary Road Map, the Code of Ethics for Magistrates, and the preliminary draft judiciary budget for 2012. These documents were adopted during the CSM General Assembly. ProJustice also finalized the Disciplinary Proceedings Guide for Magistrates and prepared the document for printing. A total of 4,000 copies were printed, and the project expects to distribute these to magistrates throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the next reporting period. The project held three coordination meetings with the CSM, focusing on evaluating results of the ongoing partnership and preparations for the CSM General Assembly. In Component 2, ProJustice provided ongoing support to training workshops for current and newly-assigned judges, trainings for clerks and prosecutors' secretaries, the Law Faculty of the University of Kindu, and for the initial training for a second group of 1,000 newly-recruited magistrates. The project worked with the CSM Permanent Secretariat on several issues, including improving the organization of the second session of the initial training for judges. ProJustice also supported the Institute of Judicial Training and Retraining on a mission to evaluate the impact of the project's training program in Bandundu Province. In Component 3, project staff trained court registrars and prosecutors' secretaries on the case management system being implemented in each of the four sites. ProJustice conducted workshops in Lubumbashi, Bukavu, and Kindu on the reform of Congolese law to address impediments to the speedy processing of criminal cases. The project issued requests for quotations for the construction of information kiosks at the Lubumbashi and Bukavu courts. Additionally, ProJustice supported the evaluation of the project's training program in Bandundu Province, particularly in the communities of Kikwit, Kenge, Idiofa, and Bulungu. The project's activities remained substantial and on schedule, with a focus on supporting the establishment of new judicial institutions, enhancing effective and transparent management of the judiciary and Ministry of Justice, and increasing access to justice for vulnerable populations. ProJustice continued to work closely with the CSM and other stakeholders to achieve the project's objectives.