Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

Advancing an integrated people centred access to justice service delivery system and strengthened Justice, Law and Order Services (JLOS) for economic and social transformation in Uganda.

Expected results

•Increase in Ugandans with a National ID from 64.3 to 90% •Increase of level of public trust in JLOS from 59% to 65%.• Reduction of backlogged cases from 18% to 9%.• Increase in the proportion of districts with one stop frontline JLOS service points from 67.5 to 80.• Decrease in remand prisoners from 48% to 41%

Target group / Beneficiaries

Citizens of Uganda, especially in decentralized locations, as well as disadvantaged groups such as women, delinquent young people and people in need who need legal assistance, refugees nationwide. Beneficiaries: Population of Uganda (with ADA financed share: approx. 552,250 persons);18 institutions in the legal and judicial sector of Uganda, including the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Judiciary (coordination), Office of the Public Prosecutor, Police, Human Rights Commission, Uganda Police Force, Ministry of Gender.

Activities

Activities include but are not limited to the following;

• Disposal of backlogged cases in special sessions

• Court Open Days to sensitize the public on justice processes

• Automation of case management systems also to allow checks and balances

• Capacity building

• Construction of courts, police stations and prisons

• Development of service delivery standards

• Printing and dissemination of the Transitional Justice Policy

• Funding of mobile courts in refugee settlements

Context

Austria has supported Uganda’s Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) through various aid modalities since the 1990s. Since 2002, Austria’s contribution to the implementation of a cross-institutional sector-wide reform programme has been through sector budget support. Most recently Austria supported the implementation of the JLOS Sector Development Plan IV (2017-2020).

In FY 2021/22 Government of Uganda decided to abandon the organization of the government structures into sectors and to shift to programme based budgeting resulting into a re-naming of the Justice, Law and Order Sector into the Access to Justice Sub-Programme.

JLOS and its new “Access to Justice Strategic Plan” 2020-2025 builds on 20 years of investment in a holistic Government approach focused on promoting the rule of law using a sector wide approach under the theme “Advancing an integrated people centered access to justice service delivery system”.

The ADC Country Strategy for Uganda 2019-2025 has “Access to Justice” as one of the two priority areas . The project in question is the budget support to the Access to Justice sub-programme based on the Governance and Security Implementation Action Plan (GSPSP1 PIAP). This project is therefore a continuation of the Austrian contribution to the implementation of JLOS Strategic Plan IV and aims to achieve the results defined in the ADC country strategy 2019-2025, i.e. equitable access to Justice, observance of human rights in the delivery of justice, enhancing staff capacity in administration of justice institution and the promotion of gender equality.