Palestinian Justice Enhancement Program Year One Annual Report

The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Chemonics International. The project's goal is to strengthen public confidence in and respect for justice sector institutions and the rule of law in the West Bank and Gaza. PJEP's activities are directed towards building capacity among targeted justice sector actors and institutions, supporting the priorities and objectives of those actors and institutions. The project is closely coordinated with activities supported by other donors and U.S. government actors that aim to strengthen justice sector institutions and enhance the performance of the justice system. PJEP's four components include enhancing accessibility and efficiency of targeted justice sector institutions, strengthening capacity and credibility of justice sector professionals, broadening public awareness of rule of law and engagement with justice sector institutions, and using windows of opportunity to facilitate the development of legal, institutional, and policy frameworks that enhance judicial independence and justice sector coordination. PJEP staff participated in multiple coordination meetings with counterparts, including the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the High Judicial Council (HJC), and the Palestinian Judicial Institute (PJI). These meetings focused on examining the needs of the justice institutions and the assistance PJEP could provide. PJEP staff also met with civil society organizations (CSOs) and other implementing partners to collaborate on planned activities. A justice system review was organized, which included a series of high-level meetings between Palestinian justice sector leaders, facilitated by Salaheddin Bashir, ex-Minister of Justice and of Economy of Jordan. The HJC hosted the 4th Annual Judicial Conference in Bethlehem, which provided an opportunity for participants to discuss the achievements of the judiciary, address the challenges facing courts and judges, and produce recommendations to improve the performance of the judiciary. PJEP also provided assistance to the HJC to refurbish the Court of Appeals when it moved to its new space, including furnishings for the courtroom and public areas, the registration office, and judges' offices. PJEP is working with law schools to create moot court programs and conduct local, regional, national, and international competitions, which will allow the project to reach substantially greater numbers of law students. PJEP conducted a number of needs assessments for the MOJ, which helped to develop activities for implementation. One such activity was training for MOJ media staff on short film editing, an area of need for the HJC media department as well. PJEP also supported an outside company to edit an HJC film for the judicial conference. The project's activities are expected to contribute to building capacity among targeted justice sector actors and institutions, supporting the priorities and objectives of those actors and institutions, and enhancing the performance of the justice system.