Washington, DC
[Remarks As Prepared]
DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR ISOBEL COLEMAN: Good morning, everyone. It’s great to be here with so many partners and champions of democracy and justice.
Across the range of challenges that democracy faces today, from disinformation and polarization to inequality and corruption, we can observe a common thread: Trust. Or more accurately, mistrust.
Mistrust in institutions, officials, corporations, media, you name it. A majority of people globally, between 60 and 70 percent according to Edelman’s global “Trust Barometer,” believe government leaders, journalists, and business executives are “purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.”
As we seek to strengthen democracy, fora like this give us the chance to hold the mirror to ourselves; and when we do, we see that an essential dimension of the social contract – justice and the rule of law – has been breached.
4.5 billion people around the world are excluded from the social, economic, and political opportunities that the law provides, and an estimated 1.5 billion have a criminal, civil, or administrative justice problem that they cannot solve.
Two-thirds of the world’s population lacks meaningful access to justice; people are unable to use the law to defend themselves from violence and crime, protect their rights, or resolve disputes peacefully. On issues ranging from legal identity, to unreported violence, to land disputes or the denial of a public service – the system is not working for people and communities.
As part of our work to strengthen democracy globally, USAID has – for decades – helped country partners strengthen justice systems and institutions. But traditional institutions and top down service delivery models are no longer sufficient to tackle the immense justice gap.
The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law reports that each year, 700 million people have a new, unmet need for justice – 700 million additional people each year with cause to be dissatisfied with their justice system’s responsiveness to their needs. This fact alone should galvanize our efforts.
Fortunately, we have developed good practices for tackling this pressing and multi-dimensional issue. Alongside partners and allies, USAID is pioneering the use of new data methods and evidence, and testing innovative practices to develop people-centered approaches to justice.
As this cohort’s joint statement says, “simply put, people-centered justice puts people, and their justice needs and legal problems, at the center of the justice system.”
Recognizing the strong link between the rule of law and the rise of authoritarianism, USAID is on the cutting edge of advancing people-centered justice, including on the front lines Russia’s war in Ukraine where nearly 20 percent of the population has been displaced. The human suffering is immense, and now more than ever, the Ukrainian people are in need of a robust and responsive justice system.
Last year, USAID-supported Community Justice Centers helped more than 7,000 war-affected Ukrainians with legal aid, humanitarian assistance, and psychological support. In just one example, a wounded service member in need of legal aid also had significant physical and psychological rehabilitation needs. He went to a Community Justice Center where he not only received legal services, but met with a psychologist to address his emotional trauma. Recognizing the benefits of how helping veterans with their legal and psychological problems can help keep them out of the courts, he became a Community Justice volunteer, working with other volunteers and local government to create a Regional Center for the psychological rehabilitation of service members and other war victims.
This morning, USAID Administrator Samantha Power launched our Agency’s new Rule of Law Policy, which shifts our focus from top down institutional support to securing justice for the two-thirds of the world’s population that have an unmet justice need. It’s based on leading innovations in the field along with our evolving understanding from decades of evidence and learning on what works in rule of law programming.
Innovation is a critical part of this new focus. We need to bring new players into the justice sector and develop fresh approaches that can deliver services to people at scale, including opening up ways to connect formal and informal justice mechanisms.
One of our first actions to implement the Agency’s new Policy will be the launch of the Rule of Law IDEAS Lab to enhance data collection and analytics and catalyze new people-centered justice initiatives with local organizations and underserved communities – such as in Kosovo, where we are working with courts to remove barriers to access justice services for persons with disabilities with tactile paving, dedicated parking spaces, and ASL-equipped tablets for the deaf; or in Colombia where we’re extending the justice system’s reach to indigenous and hard to access populations with Mobile Justice Brigades.
Our new policy will help make this kind of work a primary part of our Rule of Law strategy – and to not just build justice systems, but truly pursue justice for all.
As Director Rossi shared a few minutes ago, the United States is also proud to be announcing its membership in the Justice Action Coalition, to which USAID will bring evidence, lessons learned, and data from our global development work.
A rather simple premise underpins USAID’s new Rule of Law Policy, and the work of this cohort: When systems of justice include people in the reforms and solutions that respond to their needs and deliver quickly, fairly, transparently, and equitably, people feel respected. And citizens’ trust in their government is less likely to erode.
We have a lot of work to do to rebuild that trust. And we’re taking important steps here today among capable partners and allies, but we can no longer rely on old ways of thinking and doing. We need more innovation and greater collaboration even to have a chance of closing the justice gap. Only then will governments be able to effectively advance inclusive growth and development, demonstrate that democracy delivers tangible benefits for citizens, and rebuke the oppressive governance models of autocrats.
Thank you all so much – and a big thanks to the cohort’s co-leads from the Republic of Kosovo and the Dominican Republic.