SHIRAKA - Administration of Justice (2015-2018)

Jan 1, 2015 - Dec 31, 2018

Project description

Over a period of four years (2015-2018), the Asser Institute organised Training Courses on ‘Administration of Justice’, as part of the SHIRAKA Programme. This Programme has been developed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support sustainable democratic transition in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In the preceding years (2012-2014), the Asser Institute also organised this course as part of the MATRA South Programme.

The Training Courses brought together judges, prosecutors and civil servants working in the justice sector in the countries of the MENA region. The aim of the Course was to deepen participants' knowledge and skills and to equip them to lead and inspire the modernisation of judiciary and prosecution services in their countries. The Course also aimed at strengthening the participants’ ties with The Netherlands and the Dutch government, especially between members of judiciary and their counterparts in the MENA countries. The Course offered insight in guarantees of the independence of the judiciary in the Netherlands, existing modalities of legal aid for better access to justice, the impact of internationalisation, out-of-court dispute settlement, and the initiatives of modernisation within the administration of justice. The Training Course consisted of a theoretical and practical component, as well as study visits.
Until 2017, participants in the Training Course came from 5 target countries: Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. Since 2017, eligible countries have been: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates.

The yearly Training Courses each consisted of 2 components: (1) a Training in The Hague; and (2) a follow-up Workshop in the region. In total, the Asser Institute organised 4 Training Courses:

- 22-31 March 2015 (The Hague) & 18-21 October 2015 (Rabat, Morocco)
- 4-13 December 2016 (The Hague) & 23-26 April 2017 (Rabat, Morocco)
- 12-21 November 2017 (The Hague) & 4-7 March 2018 (Tunis, Tunisia)
- 2-11 September 2018 (The Hague) & 9-12 December 2018 (Marrakesh, Morocco).