EAJ research and experience indicate that justice institutions in Somalia are all to some degree confronted by a breakdown in community confidence and trust in their ability to resolve conflicts and deliver justice. For the statutory justice system in particular, this confidence leads many individuals to seek services from Al Shabaab courts. Other justice institutions, such as customary xeer processes or shari’ah-based adjudication, often lack capacity to enforce decisions or reflect social dynamics that are biased against certain aggrieved parties.

EAJ intends to assist justice actors in restoring confidence and trust by supporting improvements to their technical capabilities. This includes the strengthening of organizations and their systems. EAJ, for this purpose, has customized available tools to the context of Somali justice actors.:

- ABA’s Access to Justice Assessment Tool (AJAT)
- Organizational Performance Index(OPI)
- Pact’s Integrated Technical Organizational Capacity Assessment(ITOCA) - Pact’s Outcome Mapping Approach

These will be applied to capacity building in a staggered approach, with each step informing the next:

           (1)  ITOCA assessments of partners

           (2)  Joint development of Institutional Strengthening Plans (ISP)

           (3)  ISP guides the justice actor/organization in the implementation of a small or primary grant or other planned activities

Further capacity support includes demand-driven trainings, mentoring, and accompaniment for the sustained improvement of the partner organization. The EAJ hereby emphasizes partnership and localization. To further strengthen localization and reinforce the sustainability of the approach, the capacity building component supports the establishment of networks.