 |
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| Fast
Facts: |
| • Project
Document |
| Location: |
Government
of Southern Sudan and state locations
in Southern Sudan |
| Duration: |
September
2006 – December 2009 |
| Focus
area: |
Democratic
Governance |
| Contributions(USD): |
DFID:
1,178,320
UNDP: 100,001 |
| Partners: |
The Judiciary of Southern Sudan. |
| Delivery(USD):
|
2007: 1,280,000
2008: 900,000 |
| Contact
person in UNDP: |
Thusitha
Pilapitiya,
Rule of Law Head of Unit , thusitha.pilapitiya@undp.org |
|
Background
At present, the
judiciary is comprised of the Supreme
Court of Southern Sudan, Courts of
Appeal (three regional courts), High
Courts (one in each of the 10 states),
and approximately 80 county courts.
All of these institutions are in an
embryonic state of development with
severe capacity and resource constraints
that include a lack of trained judges;
judges who were trained in the North
of Sudan and neither understand the
common law system (the governing legal
framework for Southern Sudan) nor
are proficient in English (the official
working language in the South); judiciary
support staff, who are untrained in
court management and administration;
and limited infrastructure to support
the judiciary’s daily operations.
In addition, other than in a few urban
locations, the judiciary has no furniture,
equipment, computers, communications,
or transport.
Objectives
The project’s objective is to
provide support to the Judiciary of
Southern Sudan (JoSS) in three areas:
• Technical advice.
• Capacity building/training.
• Infrastructure rehabilitation.
Snapshots of the project's major achievements
Construction and Renovation
of JOSS Buildings
• As part of UNDP’s infrastructure
support to JoSS, technical assessments
were completed in 2008 for selected
locations of the Judiciary’s
court facilities in: Eastern Equatoria
State (Kapoeta, Narus, and Nimule
Counties), Central Equatoria State
(Tarekeka, Kajo Keji, Morobo Counties),
and Western Equatoria State (Yambio,
Ezo, and Tombura Counties) and Raja.
Plans are underway for a technical
assessment for Yambio and Malakal.
Training for Judicial and Support
Staff of JOSS
• UNDP facilitated a study tour
for a team of eight Justices to the
Kenyan Judiciary in Nairobi to explore
options for capacity building support
for JOSS.
• UNDP organized a customized
IT and computer skills training for
nine Justices of the Supreme Court,
Court of Appeals, and High Court in
Juba.
• UNDP’s Rule of Law Unit
conducted a training coordination
mission to potential legal training
institutions in Uganda (Law Development
Centre and the Judicial Studies Institute)
undertaken by the leadership of the
Judiciary of Southern Sudan regarding
organizing legal/judicial training
courses for staff of the Judiciary.
• With the support of UNDP’s
Rule of Law Unit, the Judiciary of
Southern Sudan (JoSS) commissioned
the Judicial Studies Institute (JSI)
to conduct training for 20 Southern
Sudanese judges in Kampala in October
2008. This training was part of the
ongoing judicial reforms being undertaken
to rebuild Southern Sudan’s
legal system after years of war and
insecurity led to a breakdown in law
and justice systems.
• UNDP conducted IT and computer
training assessment mission to Malakal,
Wau and Rumbek to plan for a decentralized
IT and computer training for staff
of the Judiciary.
• A visit by senior officials
of the Law Development Centre in Uganda
to JoSS in Juba was facilitated by
UNDP to review past legal training
programs, and plan for future trainings
for JoSS Staff.
Procurement of Equipment for
JOSS
• A total of six desktop computers,
six laptop computers, eight printers,
six Codan radios, solar panels and
other assorted equipment was procured
for JoSS, including transportation
equipment (four motorcycles and eight
bicycles) for JoSS and the Special
Courts.
Customary Law Tour Namibia
and Botswana
• A customary law study tour
to Namibia and Botswana was facilitated
by UNDP for 11 member Sudanese delegation
comprising of members of the Judiciary,
MoLACD, Local Government Board and
traditional authorities from the 11th
to the 23rd of October 2008. The study
tour exposed members of JoSS, MoLACD
and Traditional Authorities to the
application of customary law systems
of Namibia and Botswana with reference
to the application of statutory laws
with the objective of introducing
the delegation to the best practices
of the respective countries to inform
ongoing strategy development in harmonizing
mainstream statutory law systems with
the customary law systems now operating
throughout Southern Sudan.
• Participation of UNDP Head
of Unit and Project staff in providing
support to the Budget Sector Working
Group planning process for the Rule
of Law Sector for 2009. The Judiciary
of Southern Sudan served as Chair
for the BSWG planning with UNDP in
the co-chair role.
• Facilitated attendance of
two female judges and UNDPs Judiciary
Project Analyst (who is also a Sudanese
judge) to a Gender Justice conference
in Ghana.
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