USAID Economic Courts Activity Quarterly Report August 24, 2020 to September 30, 2020

The project aims to enhance the Rule of Law, reform the judiciary, and improve the business environment in Egypt. ECA is comprised of three broad objectives: automation of specialized functions within Economic Courts (ECs), improved transparency of functions and decisions of ECs, and implementation of organizational change within the ECs by enhancing human capacity of judges and court staff. The ECs were established in Egypt under Law No. 120 of 2008, which has been recently amended by Law No. 147 of 2019. ECs have subject-matter jurisdiction over disputes arising from specific laws, including company law, capital market law, financial leasing and factoring law, and intellectual property law. The project will work closely with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), ECs, and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to implement reform efforts for the courts. Objective 1 of ECA aims to improve court management practices and address the current lack of access to EC information through the development, testing, and replication of ICT software applications. The project will procure hardware and equipment as needed, support training for staff who will operate the ICT applications, and work to ensure that needed long-term infrastructure, financial, and institutional support are present to maintain and continuously improve ICT applications and business processes for long-term sustainability. Objective 2 of ECA will work with the ECs by mentoring EC leadership and professional staff in analytic methods, performance indicators, and statistical interpretation in the justice sector context. The project will also work to strengthen MOJ/EC capacity to oversee publication of EC-related legal issue journals, newsletters, etc. to inform judiciary and legal communities of important information and to create identity within the EC system. Objective 3 results will advance human capacity and institutional development of the ECs, and support professional advancement of EC judges, through development of training curricula focused on EC applicable laws, performance indicators, and statistical interpretation managing case delay. The project will incorporate principles based upon Project Management Professional (PMP) best practices throughout the implementation period. Prior to mobilization and arrival in Cairo, Tetra Tech DPK began key startup activities that included initial research into project registration, office establishment, hiring of staff, and preparatory meetings with potential partners. A Post-Award Orientation Meeting with USAID was held on July 29, 2020, to discuss project planning, roles and responsibilities, and communications protocols. A mobilization plan was filed with the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) on August 05, 2020, which identified the Tt DPK Home Office support team, their respective roles, and contact information. The project will employ a results-driven approach to its planning and programming, aligning and advancing the objectives and results outlined in the USAID proposed results framework and the contract. The ECA results framework is currently in development and will be submitted to USAID for approval within the following quarter.