Justice for All in Albania: Quarterly Report – 1 October 2019 – 31 December 2019

The project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented by the East-West Management Institute, Inc. The report highlights several key deliverables completed within this quarter, including the completion of annual JWD implementation reports for Kavaja, Saranda, and Permet District Courts. The reports demonstrate the success of the Justice without Delay (JWD) initiative in improving court efficiency and reducing unproductive hearings. In Kavaja District Court, the first annual implementation report shows that the court achieved and even surpassed its goals for civil and criminal cases. The percentage of unproductive hearings was reduced by 21%, surpassing the 40% goal set in the action plan. The results demonstrate that the initiative continues to be sustainable in Kavaja District Court. In Saranda District Court, the first annual implementation report shows that the court achieved and surpassed its goal for the reduction of the average number of hearings and the average number of days from filing to disposition civil cases. The percentage of unproductive hearings was reduced by 17%, and the court nearly reached its established goal of a 15% reduction. In criminal cases, the court reduced the percentage of unproductive hearings by 5% but did not reach the established goal. In Permet District Court, the first annual implementation report shows that the court achieved and exceeded its goals to reduce the number of hearings in both civil and criminal cases. The court exceeded its goal for reducing the number of unproductive hearings in civil cases but did not meet the goal for criminal cases. The failure of litigants to appear and a lack of preparation for hearings are the main reasons for postponements in 61% of cases. The report also highlights the completion of several other key activities, including the Regional Conference on Court Administration and Case Management, which was held as part of the JWD initiative. The conference was organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and brought together representatives from the judicial councils from within the Western Balkans, high representatives from the Council of Europe (CoE), and other international organizations. The project also provided technical assistance to the High Judicial Council (HJC) for drafting of internal rules and provided formal opinions and technical assistance on six sublegal acts related to judicial reform. Additionally, the project completed the first of four Advanced Faculty Development ToT for CAP Faculty and the first of four Faculty Development Programs for new SOM Faculty. The report also highlights the project's support for investigative journalism, including the completion of a grant award to the newly independent fact-checking service Faktoje and the completion of a training needs assessment data journalism for Faktoje and other professional journalists. The project also completed a targeted mentoring session for Faktoje by Rana Labs and completed phase one of the Beyond Fences Initiative with Shkodra and Elbasan Universities and Rana Labs. The project's support for the University of Tirana (UT) Department of Journalism also continued, with the completion of required technical assistance to achieve approval of a new Master's Degree Program from the UT Senate. The project also completed the first of four Faculty ToT between University of Tirana Professors visiting experts from De Montfort University and completed Faculty ToT for revision of UT Bachelors Court and Crime Program.