Legal Empowerment

Rights mean little if those entitled to them are not aware they exist. Due process is of doubtful value when you are illiterate, or unable to understand the proceedings. Courts are next to worthless for those who cannot afford the bus fare to reach them. Nor should justice be about courts alone. For all these reasons, legal empowerment is crucial. Part of IDLO's bottom-up (or demand side) approach, it involves equipping people with the knowledge, confidence and skills to realize their rights. Even as we work to improve the functioning of justice systems, we strengthen citizens' capacity to press for justice from below.

The rule of law only exists to the extent that it works for all.

IDLO a Dr Pucheta: ¿Que significan estado de derecho y acceso a la justicia para Paraguay?

Fighting the backlash against women

“Men and boys have to be there with us,” advocated IDLO’s Director-General, Irene Khan, during an event looking at ‘Fighting the backlash against women’, organized by the Overseas Development Institute to mark International Women’s Day.

International Women's Day 2017

2030 Agenda Event

Strengthening women's customary rights to land

The rolling hills of Burundi, or collines, represent the heart of its rural society. Burundi has a growing population and one of the highest population densities in Africa, yet 90% of its nine million inhabitants live in rural areas and many rely on subsistence farming for food.

Honduras progress and challenges for 2017

Languages: English, Español

Evaluation of the project "Enhancing the Capacity of the Legal Professional in Somalia for the Delivery of Justice"

As part of IDLO’s continuous commitment to accountability and results-based management, IDLO is pleased to share this Evaluation Brief for the project, "Enhancing the Capacity of the Legal Professional in Somalia for the Delivery of Justice". The evaluation has been conducted by independent evaluation experts, supervised by IDLO’s Evaluation Unit.

IDLO addresses Plenary Meeting on Refugees and Migrants

STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LAW ORGANIZATION

HIGH-LEVEL PLENARY MEETING ON ADDRESSING LARGE MOVEMENTS OF REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS

UN Headquarters

September 19, 2016

New York

Delivered by Irene Khan, Director-General, IDLO

Check against delivery

Protecting Women's Rights in Kenya

Kenya finds itself at an opportune moment to advance gender equality. The country’s new constitution, adopted in 2010, expanded the Bill of Rights including for the first time provisions on economic, social and cultural rights.

Advancing the Right to Health: The Vital Role of Law

Can we achieve the SDG health targets without the rule of law? Effective laws and an enabling legal environment are as essential to a healthy society as clean water.

Key Initiatives

Strengthening the Capacities of Women Justice Professionals for Gender-Responsive Justice Delivery and Policy Making

Following the Tunisian revolution of 2011, the new Constitution adopted in 2014 aimed to embed the principle of equality between women and men as well as ensuring the State’s obligation to protect women’s rights. However, despite the reforms to the legal framework in Tunisia to increase protection for women against gender-based violence, justice sector professionals, particularly judges and bailiffs, have limited knowledge, skills and capacity to act as effective gender justice agents, as stipulated by the new Law.
Call for sub-project concept notes (Community Justice Programme in Uganda)

IDLO is rolling out a program that aims to secure accessible, quality and sustainable justice services for citizens - particularly those living in rural, poor and other disadvantaged communities. The Community Justice Programme (CJP) supports both state and non-state legal aid, legal empowerment and other justice delivery interventions.
Empowering women to access justice and claim their rights at the local level in Tunisia

Since the revolution in 2011, Tunisia has experienced a period of significant political transition and change culminating in the adoption of a new constitution in 2014, which called for justice reform and protection of women’s rights. However, the practical application of the framework for legal assistance in Tunisia demonstrates the insufficiency of existing relevant mechanisms. Therefore, there is the strong need to empower women to access justice and claim their rights.
Capacity Building of the Mediation Center in Tajikistan

Alternative dispute resolution, and in particular mediation, is finally gaining momentum in Tajikistan. Previous attempt to introduce law on mediation in Tajikistan have not been successful and consequently there is currently no formal legal framework for mediation. In the first phase of the project, the International Development Law Organization worked to promote commercial mediation and build momentum for its expansion. However, there is still the need to provide assistance to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mediation Center and improve its effectiveness.
Prevention and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence in Myanmar

Strengthening prevention and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) through the rule of law and access to justice has been a priority for the Government of Myanmar since 2011, when it embarked on an unprecedented transition towards democracy. SGBV cases are rarely reported and, when they are, the justice sector fails to provide adequate remedies. Therefore, there is a widely recognized need to increase prevention of and accountability for SGBV.