Armenia presses forward with judicial reform

ArmRadio.am
10.03.2007 11:29

The World Bank Board of Directors approved a credit of US$22.5 million
for the Second Judicial Reform Project (JRP2) for Armenia. The project
aims to provide the country’s judicial system with the administration,
quality facilities and expanded capacity that are necessary to improve
the efficiency, reliability and transparency of judicial
operations. The project will also continue to improve public awareness
of services and access to legal and judicial information.

The project will be supported by a US$3 million co-financing Policy
and Human Resource Development (PHRD) Grant from the Japanese
Government. The grant will support capacity building and technical
assistance activities within the judicial reform project.

It is expected that the increased efficiency of court proceedings,
publication of decisions, and better public awareness of judicial
performance will encourage the public to make greater use of the
courts to handle disputes, and contribute to the stronger protection
of property and contract rights that are critical for a market
economy. The project will also improve access to judicial services in
rural areas, which are often not the focus of judicial reform efforts
but are nonetheless a critical factor in poverty reduction.

The Second Judicial Reform Project has six main components: (1)
Building the capacity of a reformed Council of Justice and an
effective Judicial Department, expanding judicial automation, and
developing a judicial database; (2) building a new Cassation Court
complex and rehabilitating regional courthouses; (3) establishing a
permanent Judicial Training School and supporting the development of
training curricula; (4) improving the enforcement of judicial
decisions; (5) strengthening arbitration services; and (6) expanding
access to legal information and raising public awareness of judicial
reform and legal rights, particularly by building on public
information campaigns, such as the ` My Rights’ TV show, previously
introduced under JRP1. This final component will also support the
involvement of civil society in monitoring and evaluating the
implementation and outcomes of judicial reform in the country.

By the time the project is completed, the courts and the enforcement
service will have undergone improved training and their capacity to
process cases faster as well as manage an expanding caseload will have
increased. Citizens will have better access to legislation and
judicial decisions through online services. The majority of regional
judicial buildings will be rehabilitated (at least 20,000 sq meters),
and case recording systems and automated case management software will
be in place in all renovated courts.

The credit is provided on `hardened’ IDA terms with a maturity of 20
years, and a grace period of 10 years. Armenia joined the World Bank
in 1992 and IDA in 1993, and the country has been in the process of
graduating from IDA since July 1, 2006. Commitments to Armenia amount
to approximately US$1.25 billion for 47 operations.