In 2008, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) entered into a partnership for establishing Legal Aid Offices (LAOs) and upgrading Dispute Settlement Offices (DSOs) in family courts provided for in Family Law No. 10 of 2004.

During the period 2008-2020, the number of LAOs reached 44. Out of the total 44 Legal Aid Offices, UNDP support led to the establishment of 21. During the period from 2008 to 2012 and from 2017 to 2023, the total number of beneficiaries from both genders reached 1,142,758 (One million, one-hundred forty-two thousand, and seven hundred and fifty eight). Women constituted 70% of total beneficiaries.

In addition, technical support was provided to judges, public prosecution officers, and employees of LAOs through 45 workshops, with a total number of beneficiaries of 1375 (men and women). Study tours were organized for judges to familiarize them with international experiences in the establishment of LAOS. In addition, LAOs were automated and an electronic system for LAOs was established and linked to family prosecution systems. However, this system was not rolled out or linked to family prosecution offices. Moreover, 60 family prosecution offices and 6 family courts were automated to enhance service delivery. A plan was made to develop the website but this plan was not implemented.

This evaluation report aims at assessing the gender and human rights impact during the period from 2008 to 2020, identifying previous achievements, documenting lessons learnt, proposing solutions for upgrading the automation programme, and submitting forward-looking programmatic recommendations to support the UNDP-MoJ Project

Report to be available on Thursday 5 December 2024.