Legal aid has received increasing attention in recent years. The target of ensuring equal access to justice for all in Agenda 2030 recognizes that legal aid is an essential element for delivering on the entire framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. In Africa, legal aid has emerged as a means for ensuring an effective defence and fair trial, protecting equal access to socio and economic rights, securing the rights of women and girls, and empowering communities to promote accountability. By correcting power imbalances that deprive people of their rights and entitlements and resolving ordinary issues before they turn into crises, legal aid has contributed to the promotion of just and peaceful communities on the continent.

Legal Aid Service Provision: A Guide on Programming in Africa features field-tested and evidence-based perspectives to a wide range of technical guidance on legal aid at the country level that UNDP can use to assist its practitioners in strengthening the policy frameworks and state-led legal aid systems for key populations such as women and children, as well as the capacity of non-state legal aid providers, including those at the grassroots. It also offers technical advice on key aspects of legal aid programming, such as monitoring and evaluation, resource mobilization and capacity development backed by good practices on successful legal aid schemes, strategies and plans that were established in African countries, often times with limited funding.