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.
“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.
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.
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.
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
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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.
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.
Soda tax in Mexico. Salt limits in South Africa. Plain tobacco packaging in Australia. National health insurance in Ghana. Mandatory motorcycle helmets in Vietnam.
They’re just some of the hundreds of examples of the vital role the law plays in safeguarding and promoting good health around the world.
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