Following the very successful delivery of the project “Support to Justice” in Kosovo, the Human Dynamics Team in March 2008 commenced implementing Phase II of the 15-months follow-up project “Further Support to the Justice Institutions in Kosovo” , seeking to build upon the successes of Phase I
The project “Further Support to Justice Institutions in Kosovo” has been designed to assist the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in defining effective and efficient functional procedures. Following-up on the Human Dynamics implemented project “Support to Justice”, the current project will further define mechanisms for the efficient functioning of the judicial sector in Kosovo. More particularly, the project will address the following:
- Administration procedures within the MoJ: through a number of targeted and specific activities, the project will design internal functions and mechanisms to improve: the capacity for the storage of file; the HR policies; the administration and security of the buildings; the financial and budget management; the auditing and internal controls capacities; the procurement and contract functions; and the general protocol procedures.
- Management of the Ministry of Justice: the project will provide assistance to the MoJ in defining internal communication guidelines, reporting mechanisms and internal controls procedures to ensure that the decision-making process can rely on efficient reporting and reliable information
- Legal drafting capacities: enhancing the capacities of legal drafters to design laws in accordance with European standards is an essential aspect of the project. Continuous assistance will be provided through on-the-job capacity building activities for legal drafters of the MoJ. Moreover, the project will introduce procedures for regulatory impact assessment (RIA) to determine the potential effect of a law before it is presented for adoption
- Further development of the Court Management Information System (CMIS): this IT system has been installed in municipal courts and prosecutor’s offices to improve case management within the court system. In order to ensure that the sophisticated system is effectively used by judges and administrative staff, additional training and retraining must be provided to further develop the capacities to make use of the system in the most efficient manner
- Support the Legal Aid System: with the inauguration of the Legal Aid Commission in September 2007 and the establishment of 5 District Legal Aid Bureaux, the framework regulating the legal aid system is finally in place. The project will support the Commission in defining additional secondary acts for the provision of legal aid services and the monitoring of legal aid providers (be it the district offices, the NGO or the Kosovo bar association).