The direct support to Somalia’s Judiciary is three-fold: support for a Judges’ Forum, the establishment of a model court, and the promotion of court user committees to foster greater levels of confidence and accountability.Judiciary staff will also benefit from the formation of clinical legal education program and a coherent curriculum to improve and consolidate the education of future legal practitioners (see following section).

In close coordination with the Somali Judiciary, EAJ will continue and expand efforts to improve the functioning of state courts through support for the Model Court Initiative in the Wadajir District Court and in two additional yet-to-be-determined courts. The Model Court Initiative will employ a multi-faceted approach that engages the wider justice chain and community to address and improve community confidence in court services. On the basis of model court priorities, EAJ will support the development of court standards, policies, and technical practices to improve the operation, consistency, and effectiveness of state court adjudications. Model Court interventions will be created, applied, monitored, and refined, to inform their possible roll-out to additional courts.

The introduction of a Court User Committee (CUC) will ensure community engagement and trust in establishing expectations and accountability for court operations. The CUC also facilitates coordination throughout the extended justice chain, including community leaders and representatives, statutory justice actors such as the police, prosecutors, custodial services, and LAOs, and other district-based redress mechanisms that constitute Somalia’s plural justice environment. Collectively, these actors will participate in setting court priorities and expectations, and help holding courts accountable, which is crucial to instill confidence in statutory justice institutions among disaffected communities.