The Palestinian Judicial Institute, in close cooperation with the High Judicial Council, held a high-level ceremony recently to launch a new Palestinian comparative research study.
The study, titled “Fair Trial Guarantees in the Criminal Procedural Law from International Standards Perspective,” was developed within the MENA programme of RWI’s regional office in Amman.
“The study is an innovative and unique reference that will aid judicial actors in bringing forward applicable judicial recommendations and solutions based on informed jurisprudence to overcome issues of non-conformity between international standards and national laws,” says Carla Boukheir, Director of RWI’s regional office in Amman.
The event was held in Ramallah-Palestine under the patronage of the Jordanian and the Palestinian Justice Ministers and was attended by the Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem, the Jordanian Ambassador to Palestine and members of the Palestinian high judicial courts as well as the Palestinian General Prosecutor, international and national NGOs and UN agencies.
The event also allowed for joint discussions among the Jordanian and the Palestinian Ministers of Justice and RWI where the importance of creating platforms of knowledge and experience-sharing in the region within the justice sector was highlighted, as well as the need for new initiatives and joint programmes between the two neighboring countries benefiting the justice sector.
“While it is important to address specific emerging needs in different contexts, it is equally important to develop programmes that build on previous achievements to ensure sustainability and encourage ownership,” says Yasar Abduh, MENA Program Officer.
Following the ceremony, RWI and the director of the Palestinian Judicial Institute conducted bilateral meetings with the Palestinian Minister of Justice and the Director of the High Judicial Council to discuss the needs of the justice sector and the relevant potential cooperation with RWI for the upcoming years.
Subsequently, it was decided that a bilateral project with a detailed action plan addressing the specific needs of the Justice Sector in Palestine will be jointly developed by RWI and the Palestinian Judicial Institute in close consultation with the Ministy of Justice and the Higher Judicial Council.