In Ivory Coast, DPI worked with TetraTech DPK (Tt DPK) on the five-year judicial administration program, ProJustice, which worked to increase efficient administration, accountability, and access to justice. ProJustice cooperated with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), National Judicial Training Institute, targeted courts, and civil society organizations to improve the functioning of the justice system through a robust training program focused on judicial police, magistrates, and judicial administrative agents.
ProJustice also focused on improving case management systems, increasing transparency and accountability in the courts, improving citizen access to the MOJ public defense fund, strengthening MOJ legal aid offices, and supporting public legal awareness activities by empowering community legal advisors (CLAs). Supporting public legal awareness activities by empowering community legal advisors (CLAs) was the focus of DPI's work on ProJustice. DPI developed the capacity of legal assistance centers; streamlined the application process for receiving state-funded legal aid; and helped draft a law to decentralize legal aid, thereby establishing legal assistance centers across the country. DPI's long-term technical assistance at both the national and local levels helped enhance justice services and access to legal aid for Ivoirian citizens.
Photo credit: Tetra Tech