Quarterly Report #6: Palestinian Justice Enhancement Program

During the quarter, PJEP contributed to this goal through targeted assistance to justice institutions, legal professionals, civil society, and the public. PJEP upgraded the First Instance and Conciliation Courts, Civil Judgment and Notary Public Departments in the Hebron, Dora, Tulkram, Nablus, and Salfit courts. Additionally, PJEP partnered with the USAID Palestinian Authority Capacity Enhancement Project (PACE) to upgrade the Ramallah Conciliation Court. PJEP provided IT equipment and furniture, while PACE was responsible for facilities renovations. PJEP also delivered 56 computers and 20 heavy-duty scanners to the High Judicial Council (HJC). The computers will be used in courtrooms to type case transcripts, and the scanners will improve case management in the courts. PJEP's data entry interns are currently using the scanners to process backlogged documents and enter data into the Al Mizan 2 program. PJEP completed the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) Basic Computer Skills training for 83 justice sector staff. Fifteen Ministry of Justice (MOJ) staff also took part in the training, which will help them work more efficiently and have a better command of the computer and its functions. Additionally, nine MOJ staff completed the level two English language training provided by PJEP. PJEP conducted a Training of Trainers (TOT) program for 11 court staff, who are responsible for training 105 court staff from the Notary Public, Civil Judgment, and Notification Departments, as well as staff from the Court Registry's Office. Support to the MOJ included the delivery of 36 computers to the new space in Ramallah, which were distributed to various departments, including the Media Center and the Legal Affairs Department. PJEP also provided assistance to the "One Million Documents Project" launched by the MOJ Authentication Department. PJEP's data entry interns are working to archive official documents authenticated by the department. Assistance was also provided to the Deputy Minister's Office, with PJEP's advisor working to improve administrative procedures at the Office. Through the work of the Joint Legal Committee (JLC), two Palestinian suspects who fled into Israel were extradited to the Palestinian territories. The extradition was based on a request submitted by PJEP's JLC Senior Specialist, which was the first ever to be prepared and submitted to the Israeli counterpart according to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement. PJEP completed the development of the Civil Law course material that will be added to the Palestinian Judicial Institute's (PJI) Diploma Judicial Studies (DJS) program. PJEP also completed the upgrades to the PJI computer lab by delivering 23 PCs, a heavy-duty printer/scanner, and a video projector. The lab will be used by judges, lawyers, and court staff. Other continuing support included training judges on "Judicial Mediation" and "Insurance Law." PJEP conducted the first-ever Local Moot Court Competition for qualified third and fourth-year law students. Forty-one students took part in the competition, which was conducted at Al Ahliya, An Najah, Al Quds, and Hebron Universities. The 19 winners of the competition will take part in the National Moot Court Competition to be held next quarter. PJEP also completed the remodeling of moot court facilities for Hebron, Al Ahliya, and An Najah Universities. The moot court facilities will enable law students to develop their practical skills.