Registration: TICAD8 JICA Side Events

Co-organizer: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Language: English, French

Background

SDG16 is an ambitious goal; it requires each nation to go beyond simply establishing formal institutions responsible for upholding the“rule of law” - it envisions a situation where every person's rights are actually protected on the ground. To achieve this goal, access to justice for women in Africa, many of whom become the target of sexual and gender-based violence, is an issue of paramount importance for the international community.
When considering ways to tackle this issue, we need to learn from best practices on the ground and also focus on the realities that women actually face including the lasting impact of COVID-19.

Key Questions

• What are the essential factors of access to justice from the perspective of the people-centered justice?

• In light of these factors, what challenges do women in Africa face (i.e., physical, financial, and cultural barriers, among others), and what are some best practices for addressing these challenges?

• What are the respective roles of government ministries and agencies, communities, NGOs, donors, and other institutions in collective efforts to improve women’s access to justice in a with- and post-COVID-19 world?

Objective

Identify and discuss challenges, issues, best practices, and future directions in improving access to justice among women in Africa from the perspective of the people-centered rule of law.

Speakers

Policy specialist on Rule of Law, Justice & Human Rights, UNDP

Director, National Legal Aid Service, Kenya (TBC)

Secretariat, National Council on the Administration of Justice, Kenya (TBC)

Program Legal Officer, KASH (TBC)

CEO, Centre for Human Rights and Mediation (TBC)

Lawyer, Japan (TBC)