|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
  |
 |
  |
Office of Democracy and Governance
>> Regional Overview >> DCHA Overview >> Office of Democracy and Governance Overview Program Data Sheet
932-001PROGRAM: Central Programs, Office of Democracy and Governance (DCHA/DG)
PROGRAM TITLE: Rule of Law (ROL) (Pillar: Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance)
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE AND NUMBER: Legal systems operate more effectively to support democratic governance and protect human rights; 932-001
STATUS: Continuing
PLANNED FY2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $1,913,000 DA
PRIOR YEAR UNOBLIGATED AND FUNDING SOURCE: $1,925,000 DA
PROPOSED FY2003 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $1,734,000 DA
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY1997 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY2007Summary: The DCHA/DG ROL program provides technical assistance and support to USAID missions worldwide through the development of new methodologies and synthesis of lessons learned in the design and implementation of ROL assistance and through management of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements. The purpose of this DCHA/DG program is to strengthen USAID programming and reinforce country-based efforts by:
- Promoting respect for human rights;
- Improving legal frameworks;
- Improving the institutional administration of justice;
- Increasing access to justice; and
- Building local constituencies for justice sector reform and improvement.
Inputs, Outputs, and Activities: FY 2002 Program: DCHA/DG will continue to build upon activities that have provided innovative technical guidance to USAID missions, have helped improve U.S. ROL field programs, and further established USAID's role as a leader in rule of law and justice sector assistance. FY 2002 resources will increase DCHA/DG's capacity to provide such technical assistance through DCHA/DG staff and new institutional contracts. Moreover, FY 2002 resources will be used for provision of a USAID rapid response capacity in the ROL area. Such rapid response has been required in Afghanistan, East Timor, and Sierra Leone.
In December 2001 DCHA/DG published Guidance for Promoting Judicial Independence and Impartiality. The guidance is a milestone in assisting USAID missions to improve the effectiveness of their ROL programs. To that end DCHA/DG intends to oversee the translation of the guide into French, Spanish, and Arabic to achieve a global distribution. In FY 2002 DCHA/DG will sponsor a range of activities to further assist USAID missions and to bring judicial independence to the forefront of the international donor dialogue on justice sector assistance. Activities include workshops in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Eurasia, as well as consultations with major donor organizations that will highlight judicial independence to both development planners and influential justice sector officials. FY 2002 resources will also be used for the production and dissemination of supplementary papers on issues related to judicial independence and impartiality, such as judicial corruption and codes of ethics, enforcement of judicial decisions, and oversight of the judiciary.
In FY 2002 DCHA/DG will disseminate guidance to USAID missions on case management and tracking within judicial systems. Training of USAID democracy officers on this subject, initiated in 1999, will continue in FY 2002, and DCHA/DG plans to begin translation of its technical publication Case Tracking and Management Guide into Spanish, Russian, and Arabic for distribution to justice sector officials.
FY 2002 resources will also be used to complete a strategic framework for justice sector assistance. This document will assist USAID missions in ensuring that ROL programs directly address the linkages between the rule of law and democratic governance. The analytic methodology proposed in the framework will be applied in selected countries throughout FY 2002 to ensure that it reflects country realities and provides relevant and effective guidance. Two additional subjects DCHA/DG will focus on in FY 2002 are administrative law and access to justice. Guidance will be developed for USAID missions to improve their ROL programs with respect to government administrative interactions with citizens, and with respect to the ability of citizens to gain access to the justice system.
Planned FY2003 Program: The FY 2003 program will reflect substantive continuity, extending the FY 2002 dissemination effort of the judicial independence and impartiality work, and the case tracking and management study. DCHA/DG's new work in the substantive areas of administrative law and access to justice will be expanded and disseminated through regional events and agency-wide training.
Performance and Results: In its study on judicial independence, DCHA/DG catalogued a myriad of legal, political, and administrative measures that have strengthened the effectiveness and independence of judiciaries worldwide. The technical guidance issued as a result provides USAID missions with important tools for rule of law assistance. DCHA/DG rapid response mechanisms and funds allowed USAID to assist human rights activists and rule-of-law reformers in countries without USAID missions. It enabled USAID to provide training and support to human rights activists in Algeria, East Timor, and Uzbekistan; awareness of women's legal rights to Afghan women leaders; and technical assistance on women's rights to the government of Oman.
Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: The ROL team manages eight implementing agreements comprising contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements. Contractors include the National Center for State Courts (and sub-contractors DPK Consulting and the National Judicial College), the IRIS Center (and sub-contractors Abt Associates, American University, Casals & Associates, Inter-American Bar Association, International Programs Consortium, Inc., Amex International, Inc., Barents Group, University of Maryland, International Law Institute and the Spangenburg Group), and Management Sciences for Development, Inc. (and its sub-contractors State University of New York, American University, Planitech, and Brown & Co.). A grantee is the International Development Law Institute. Cooperative agreements are held with the Rights Consortium (consisting of Freedom House, the American Bar Association, and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs); and the International Foundation for Election Systems/International Human Rights Law Group Consortium. The ROL team maintains two inter-agency relationships: a participating agency services agreement with the Department of Justice and a relationship with the International Relations Committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference.
US Financing in Thousands of Dollars
DCHA/DG Rule of Law, 932-001 Total Economic Support Funds Development Assistance Total Through September 30, 2000 Obligations 15,165 3,091 12,074 Expenditures 11,575 2,841 8,734 Unliquidated 3,590 250 3,340 Fiscal Year 2001 Obligations 3,305 2,141 1,164 Expenditures 3,073 250 2,823 Through September 30, 2001 Obligations 18,470 5,232 13,238 Expenditures 14,648 3,091 11,557 Unliquidated 3,822 2,141 1,681 Prior Year Unobligated Funds* Obligations 1,925 0 1,925 Planned Fiscal Year 2002 NOA Obligations 1,913 0 1,913 Total Planned Fiscal Year 2002 Obligations 3,838 0 3,838 Proposed Fiscal Year 2003 NOA Obligations 1,734 0 1,734 Future Obligations 0 0 0 Est. Total Cost 24,042 5,232 18,810 *of which, $325,000 in DA are prior year reobligations.
 |
|||
Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
