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.