Think local for rule-of-law projects

Sustainable development needs stable democracies. Societies can thrive only when all persons and institutions are held accountable with just and reasonable laws that are made public and enforced equally for everyone.

At GOPA, we believe in the power of people-centred, locally led development. This means supporting local actors to leverage their existing expertise, capacities and resources to bring about and sustain the change they desire.

When it comes to rule-of-law projects that seek to improve citizens’ access to justice, localisation is critical. Not only do countries present unique circumstances within which stakeholders need to collaborate, but citizen involvement, or lack thereof, in local justice systems depends greatly on one’s experience of discrimination, corruption, and injustice.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to protecting human rights or promoting security, peace, and justice. Here, for example, are three ways of applying a localised approach in the implementation of rule-of-law-based projects.

1) Prioritise people-centred justice

Localisation helps promote peace and justice for all, rather than reinforcing legal systems that benefit a small, often privileged, segment of the population. However, to be effective, people-centred justice requires a deep understanding of the intricacies of local judicial systems.

In Lesotho, for example, GOPA supports the Ministry of Justice, Law, and Parliamentary Affairs to improve governance institutions. A small, but key, component of the project is the implementation of the country’s first national justice survey. This activity involves a “whole of society” approach towards gathering meaningful data on justice needs and wants of the local population. Our collaboration with local legal aid providers, local civil society organisations, and the University of Lesotho helps us reach vulnerable groups and gain an even deeper understanding of gaps in Lesotho’s justice system.

By prioritising people-centred justice, legal reforms can be better aligned with local needs while contributing to building a more inclusive and equitable justice system for all citizens.

2) Foster strong local partnerships

Effective localisation leverages insights from a diverse group of local experts to build strong partnerships. In Libya, for example, GOPA teamed up with local- and national-level security institutions in designing, rolling out, and evaluating training sessions for over 550 government employees. This approach resulted in an 85% satisfaction rate amongst training participants, helped strengthen collaboration between relevant government agencies, and laid a solid foundation for stability and long-term governmental reform.

Allowing local partners to take the lead in communicating the rationale and goals of interventions leads to a clearer understanding of long-term project impacts and reduces public scepticism. We witnessed this effect firsthand through our work in implementing police reforms in Moldova and in supporting transitional justice in South Sudan, where community-led messaging significantly improved public trust in their respective police and justice systems.

3) Integrate with other sectors

Rule of law is foundational to all sectors – from public health to education to environmental protection. Localisation ensures that rule of law is not treated in isolation, but rather as a cross-cutting issue, leading in turn to more comprehensive and sustainable development outcomes.

In Libya in 2021 and 2022, for example, GOPA facilitated the rehabilitation and reopening of Libya's Coastal Road, focusing on infrastructure development to support peace-building and economic recovery in the region. We recently complemented this work with training programmes, conflict monitoring, and political analysis to help Libyan security and rule-of-law institutions to be more conflict-sensitive and human rights-compliant.

Focusing on localisation fosters lasting trust between funders, implementers, and communities, laying the groundwork for impactful legal and justice reforms. It also fosters ownership and builds capacity, both of which are keys to sustainability. Supporting local actors to define project priorities, raise funds, design interventions, lead implementation, and evaluate results, implementers are better able to deliver interventions that local populations can sustain over the long term.

(Originally published 1 August 2024. Updates have been made to reflect current branding.)