Quarterly Progress Report: Effective Rule of Law Program in Kosovo, Year 2 Quarter 3

The program seeks to strengthen the independence, accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of the justice system, 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 main objectives: to improve the effectiveness of justice sector institutions, to increase the efficiency of court operations, to improve the professionalism of justice system actors, and to increase citizen awareness and role in ensuring the delivery of justice. To achieve these objectives, the program is implementing various activities, including technical support to the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC) and the public, case inventory and transfer efforts, court refurbishment, and the introduction and utilization of enhanced technology solutions. During the reporting period, the program continued to make steady progress on its activities. The program dedicated significant resources to ensuring the courts, the KJC, and the public were ready for the transition to a new court structure, which was implemented on January 1, 2013. The program also utilized additional short-term local staff to provide technical support for the case inventory effort, which involved identifying, inventorying, and entering into a case tracking database the over 240,000 cases pending in the courts across Kosovo. The program worked with the KJC to develop, print, and distribute revised case registry books for all courts, which serve as the primary information-gathering tool for court case information. The program also utilized an electronic registry to update information and keep accurate data on court/judicial caseloads current. Additionally, the program started court refurbishment work at the new Court of Appeals and the Basic Court in Rahovec, and published RFTOPs for refurbishment work to the CR IQC holders. The program continued to provide technical support for the introduction and utilization of enhanced technology solutions, including the development of a database system for the KJI, website development at the KJC and KPC, and the design, programming, and implementation of a case management system for the MOJ's Judicial Litigation/State Advocacy Office and Department for International Legal Co-operation. The program's progress and highlights during the reporting period include the successful transfer of cases between courts, the development and distribution of revised case registry books, the start of court refurbishment work, and the continued introduction and utilization of enhanced technology solutions. The program's efforts are expected to contribute to the advancement of the rule of law in Kosovo and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the justice system.