Rule of Law in the time of COVID-19: Jordan
Like all other parts of public life, the administration of justice and access to legal remedies and dispute resolution have been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the past 10 years, Jordan has pursued structural reforms in education and health and has improved social protection systems. Although Jordan has achieved good standards of human development, there is still a need to strengthen the rule of law and enforce the independence of the justice sector in the country.
Jordan shows a general improvement of women’s political representation in Parliament, however the UN Gender Inequality Index based on reproductive health, empowerment and labor market participation shows a continued need for the country to focus on several gender equality issues.
Like all other parts of public life, the administration of justice and access to legal remedies and dispute resolution have been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Discrimination faced by women entrepreneurs in Jordan prevents their ability to access justice as they engage in business ventures and seek to resolve disputes, according to a new report.
In recent years, Jordan has taken steps and demonstrated political will to reform the justice sector and promote mediation and alternative dispute resolution as means not only to reduce court congestion and shorten the litigation process, but also to guarantee transparent and fair trials. Despite the use of mediation for several years, interest in mediation faded, and it is no longer perceived as a reliable mechanism for dispute resolution. There is therefore a strong need to re-establish mediation as an effective dispute resolution mechanism in the country.
In recent years Jordan has taken significant steps toward promoting economic development, including through strengthening rule of law. Judicial specialization in relevant areas, while promoting an enabling environment for capacity development within the relevant judicial institutions is crucial to maximize the impact of those efforts and ensure sustainability. At the same time, attention has been given to encouraging entrepreneurship, in particular women entrepreneurs, as a means to achieve economic growth.
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.
Lack of legal awareness, insufficient access to lawyers and justice mechanisms perceived as ineffective or unaffordable are among the obstacles most commonly experienced by women entrepreneurs in Jordan when attempting to access justice, according to the findings of a baseline assessment presented yesterday in Amman by the European Bank for Re
IDLO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) convened a forum in Casablanca, Morocco on 14-15 December 2017 to lay the foundations for the first regional network for women judges in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region – Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and West Bank and Gaza.
EBRD and IDLO lay foundations of regional women judges’ platform
Women in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia, are significantly affected by considerable inequalities. Discriminatory legal frameworks and neutral laws enforced with underlying biases and stereotypes continue to hold women in the region back from fully participating in society. Crucially, this is also the case in political and other leadership and decision-making positions. Enhancing the contributions of women judges is particularly important as gender justice remains elusive in many aspects.
Reflections From The Field
|