On Monday, January 18, 2021, in Baidoa, Southwest State (SWS) of Somalia, EAJ supported the SWS Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to convene the inaugural event for the Access to Justice Committee (A2JC), which included participants from the state and no-state justice actors. The goal of the Access to Justice Committee is to improve access to justice in SWS. To achieve this goal, the A2JC seeks to promote exchange and collective action, build on efficiencies and economies of scale, and emphasize justice service delivery in a manner that promotes accessible justice services for all.
The SWS Minister of Planning, the SWS Minister of Justice, the SWS Judiciary, SWS Police, SWS Custodial Corps, LAO partners, and international non-governmental organization (INGO) representatives attended the meeting. Welcoming remarks were delivered by the Minister of Justice, who expressed his support for the forum and EAJ's involvement.
Access to Justice Committee launch event at Baidao, Southwest State of Somalia
Participants agreed to establish the AJC priorities and determined the Development Group in a meeting scheduled on February 15, 2021. The lunch event was a follow up of A Letter of Intent to Cooperate signed between the MOJ and EAJ to formalize partnership commitments in September 2020. EAJ will work for hand in hand with justice actors in SWS and use an iterative approach to enable sustainable change.
