In 2014, the Rule of Law Centres Initiative was launched to increase trust and cooperation between justice providers and the communities they serve. With project offices in Mandalay, Yangon, Myitkyina and Taunggyi, the Rule of Law Centres trained lawyers, law teachers, government officials and civil society representatives on key rule of law and human rights issues and raised awareness of rule of law in communities across the country.
Despite positive gains made since 2014, access to justice remains limited in the country, and public awareness and understanding of rule of law is still lacking. Many individuals are still unaware of their rights and how to claim them, and local government actors are still not able to fully respond to the needs of their communities. A lack of collaboration between communities, local government authorities and justice service providers persists. And, there is an ongoing need to address the lack of confidence in the justice system by the general public and to promote civic awareness of people’s rights.
Funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the Danish Embassy, IDLO is supporting the Rule of Law Centres Initiative by working with individuals and community leaders to promote awareness of people’s rights and how to claim them, by enabling local government to provide better services to the community they serve and by building partnerships between communities and local authorities towards the resolution of local justice issues.
The Rule of Law Centres Initiative was established together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and previously funded by the governments of Australia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
