News

Through intensive technical assistance extended by the USAID Rule of Law Project, the legislative framework governing the system of enforcement in Serbia has been reshaped to allow for a fairer and more efficient enforcement procedure. 

USAID Open Justice Project marked the end of 2019 by reaching an important milestone in project implementation: the new Integrated Case Management System (ICMS, or PIGD according to the Moldovan acronym) is rolled-out and operational in all Moldovan courts. 

Judicial assistants – to the uninitiated, it is more than 1500 highly educated lawyers in Serbian courts, providing help to judges by drafting decisions, while also often handling certain types of cases themselves, for example probate cases.

The kick-off event for the new USAID Judiciary Against Corruption Activity (JACA) was held today, at the session of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council in Sarajevo. 

Our USAID Justice Systems Strengthening Program has been partnering with Kosovo judicial institutions for the past four years and helping them develop in the direction of a modern, efficient, and transparent judiciary, easily accessible to all citizens of Kosovo.

The USAID Open Justice Project in Moldova completed the process of upgrading internet presentations of 19 Moldovan courts, complementing work on the webpages of the National Court’s Portal, the Agency for Court Administration, and the Superior Council of Magistracy.

Ms. Cristina Olive, USAID Public Affairs officer and Mr. Scott Hocklander, USAID Moldova Mission Director, visited the Comrat District Court today to discuss the use of the new Integrated Case Management System (ICMS). 

With the help of the USAID Open Justice project in Moldova, the 740,824 decisions from the Chisinau District Court’s 1973–2009 paper archive, amounting to over 2,278 million pages, were digitized.

USAID Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, Brock Bierman, visited the Western Balkan region this month. During the several days he spent in Serbia, Mr. Biermann spoke at the roundtable on enforcement organized by the USAID Rule of Law Project. 

On April 11, 2019, in Belgrade, the USAID Rule of Law Project organized a roundtable on the topic of operational improvements in Serbian courts with the aim of improving judicial efficiency, gathering over 70 judicial stakeholders. 

Two days ago, in Adis Abbaba, President of Ethiopia’s Supreme Court, Meaza Ashenafi, joined USAID Deputy Administrator, Bonnie Glick, and U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Michael Raynor, to launch the new USAID “Feteh” (Justice) program in Ethiopia.

With the support of the USAID Rule of Law Project, the Chamber of Public Enforcement Officers has organized the 5th annual conference for Public Enforcement Officers in Serbia, aimed at enabling stakeholder discussions and peer-to-peer learning.

The USAID Rule of Law Project helped Serbia’s State Attorney’s Office (SAO) reach an important milestone in the overall modernization and capacity building process for the institution. This week, the first ever Strategic Plan for the SAO was finalized. 

A DPI-led effort in Serbia, the USAID Rule of Law Project, supported the initiative of the country’s High Court Council and developed a 2018-2022 Communication Strategy for the Council and the Courts as the basis for establishing proactive communication of the judicial system.

In 2017, Serbian courts have received 5.545 claims for compensation of damages in cases of violation of the right to trial within reasonable time. If minimum damages were sought in every case, total amount that the state would have to pay is more than 2 million euros.

USAID Open Justice Project representatives took part in a range of public events in the past several months with a single aim – raising awareness on universal access to justice as a key precondition for the continued development of human rights and the rule of law.

The Open Justice Project aims to strengthen and improve the administration and transparency of institutions in the Moldovan justice sector by using modern technologies accessible to citizens.