Mali Justice Project (MJP) Quarterly Report (April 1 – June 30, 2018)

The project spans justice, security, trade, and anti-corruption sectors with the overarching goal of showing measurable improvement in the effectiveness, efficiency, and operational capacity of Government of Mali institutions to meet the needs of Mali citizens. MJP continued to work with the National Institute for Magistrate Training (INFJ) to assess and develop its organizational structure. An assessment containing significant recommendations was provided to the INFJ, including the development of resource allocation models and training needs of judges as well as court and other Ministry of Justice technical and administrative staff. A guidebook, 100 Factsheets to Understand the Law, was published to educate the public on their rights and responsibilities under Malian law. A study and performance audit of the Ministry of Justice's human resources management functions was completed. The study assessed the strengths and weaknesses of HR management within the Ministry and provided a comprehensive plan to improve HR operations. A workshop was held with stakeholders to discuss court operations and associated recommendations from another recent MJP assessment. The attendees drafted a resolution adopting/recommending 54 specific action items for the courts. In support of the Ministry of Justice efforts to develop the INFJ's organizational training policy, MJP delivered targeted training to Ministry of Justice and INFJ staff, including on results-based management, results-based budgeting, and budget management. The focus of the training was to develop INFJ's capacity to draft and complete their strategic plan and training policy. MJP continued to work with seven Civil Society Organization (CSO) grantees and their approximately 1,000 paralegals to assist disadvantaged communities in accessing legal information and resolving various claims, whether informal or formal. MJP conducted regular monitoring and provided technical guidance to grantees for activities, reporting, and deliverables and provided training on communications, mediation, monitoring and evaluation, and advocacy. MJP conducted a series of dialogues involving stakeholders and beneficiaries from both the informal and formal justice sector with the aim to increase cooperation between the two sectors and promote justice in general throughout the country. MJP held two dialogue conferences this quarter, one in Gao and another in Sikasso. In addition to community-level education, MJP is planning to conduct a nationwide campaign using mass media to further inform citizens of their rights, increase access to justice, and to combat discriminatory practices affecting groups such as women and youth. MJP also supported the Hakew Sabatili platform to conduct a study on the Maison de la Femme with the aim of determining whether it was an appropriate venue to lodge legal clinics to assist victims of Gender-Based Violence. In an effort to bring closer to the ground the operations of the MJP-supported Citizen Advocacy Offices (CAOs) and the Sikasso Platform for the Free Movement of Persons and Goods, a series of outreach activities were organized to introduce the Watch Committees to the relevant stakeholders at the local municipalities' level. Through the collaboration with Studio Tamani and the SKBO network, 34 radio productions were broadcasted by 81 local radio stations as well as on social medias. These radio networks were chosen because they focus on the populations living, working, and doing business in the Mali-Burkina Faso-Cote d'Ivoire border region. To build sustainability of the anti-corruption efforts, MJP expanded its activities to engage the youth. A nationwide youth network has been identified and initial consultations conducted to identify areas and modalities of collaboration. Recognizing that engaging the media in the fight against corruption requires equipping them with appropriate skills to investigate and report on corruption cases, MJP organized a week-long training for 17 journalists on investigative reporting techniques and data security. The judicial sector in Mali still does not have an institutional structure designed to administer, manage, or support the operational and administrative requirements of courts. The Ministry of Justice lacks significant human and budgetary resources, and there has been no recruitment of magistrates since 2012. Resolving the lack of resources to finance MOJ and operating costs for courts remains critical. Prototypes of quick impact projects (QIPs) were adopted by the management of DNAJ, jointly with presiding judges, to address these challenges.