Themes

The PJSI outputs are clustered around 5 key themes.

1. Leadership2. Access to Justice3. Professionalisation4. Substantive Justice5. Procedural Justice
• National Judicial Development Committees
• Project Management
• Empowerment
• Unrepresented litigants
• Public Information
• Training in:
   o Court craft
   o Decision-making
   o Sentencing
   o Orientation
• Bangalore Declaration
• Certificate of Justice
• Training/enabling local trainers
• Fair trial
• Human Rights
• Gender & domestic violence
• Case delay & backlog reduction
• Data collection & reporting
• ICT

Leadership

The leadership thematic purpose is to build institutional capacity, systems, processes and tools at the regional level for stakeholders to proactively manage judicial development at the local level.

This theme will be addressed through regional and national capacity building initiatives, as well as a Leadership Incentive Fund which will enable national judicial development objectives to be achieved.

Short term outcome: Improved capacity of judicial leadership to assess needs, plan, own and lead judicial development locally.

Access to Justice

The access to justice thematic purpose is to improve the accessibility of court remedies, and enable needy right-holders to exercise their legal rights.

This will be done through legal empowerment through outreach and community legal education by the courts informing the public on the roles of courts, the rule of law, and the exercise of legal rights.

Short term outcome: Marginalised and vulnerable groups better able to access justice in and through courts.

Professionalisation

The professional development thematic purpose is to build professional competence, and institutional capacity, to administer justice that is accessible, fair, efficient and timely.

This will be done through building the competence and professionalism of judicial court officers and key court actors through the conduct of substantive (legal and procedural) training, ongoing training-of-trainers, provision of structured career development and capacity building of a judicial training institution in the Pacific.

Short term outcome: Partner courts operate with a higher level of professionalism.

Substantive Justice

The substantive justice thematic purpose is to improve the substantive fairness – that is, the qualitative or 'thick' dimensions – of justice service delivery; specifically in relation to human rights law generally, and gender and family violence specifically.

This will be done by building the capacity of partner courts to deliver justice aligning with human rights norms, and measurably improve the accessibility and responsiveness of court services to victims of gender and family violence.

Short term outcome: Partner courts exhibit more responsive and just behaviour and treatment that is fair and reasonable.

Procedural Justice

The procedural justice thematic purpose is to improve the efficient and timely delivery of justice services in our Pacific Island partner courts.

This will be achieved through assisting Pacific Island Countries to implement management, administer active and technological tool and mechanisms that will improve efficiency in the disposal of cases and increase transparency through internally monitoring and evaluating court performance.

Short term outcome: Cases in partner courts are disposed of more efficiently.