Stories

Justice Albie Sachs, former judge on South Africa’s Constitutional Court and current member of IDLO’s International Advisory Council, has spent his lifetime fighting for freedom and equality.

Strong rule of law institutions are crucial for preventing conflicts and building peace. Effectively promoting the rule of law requires sustained and context-sensitive engagement, quick wins, grassroots partnerships and empowered citizens. Such work needs to involve informal justice mechanisms, combat violence against women and stay engaged during all phases of conflict.

By Michel Nussbaumer, Director, Legal Transition Team, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Margarita Milikh, Regional Program Manager, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, International Development Law Organization. This piece originally appeared in the ALIFDO Gazette Winter 2018 Edition. 

Entering the courthouse as a defense lawyer in Afghanistan is a process. While the prosecutors walk in alongside fellow officers of the court, defense lawyers are made to stand in line with members of the public. For female lawyers, without a permit to drive up to the check points closer to the building, reaching the courthouse can involve a 45-minute unprotected walk.