OVERVIEW

ADALAT’s (“justice” in Dari and Pashto) objective is to improve citizen access to justice. ADALAT increases efficiency and integrity in the formal justice system through training and the development of more robust court systems and procedures.

At the same time, ADALAT works to create stronger links between the formal and informal justice sectors and greater consistency in the application of Afghan law by traditional dispute resolution actors.

Finally, ADALAT seeks to satisfy citizen demand for quality legal services through expanded public legal education, improved legal education, and enhanced legal assistance.

ACTIVITIES

• Technical assistance to the Supreme Court to provide professional training to judges and judicial personnel; court administration, and ensure professional conduct among judges and judicial staff.
• Strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to provide quality legal services and increase citizen access to legal aid.
• Improve traditional justice decision making through training and consultative interventions.
• Protect citizens' legal rights through education and advocacy.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Improved the professionalism and effectiveness of key judicial institutions through implementation of three human and institutional capacity development assessments for the Supreme Court, the MOJ, and the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association.
• Supported 22 district and provincial advocacy networking forums to resolve cases on labor rights, human trafficking, inheritance, and violence against women.
• Educated 4,500 women and men on citizens' fundamental rights, including women's rights from Islamic and Afghan legal perspectives through training and workshops.
• Improved court efficiency by implementing the Afghanistan Court Administration System, which is a paper-based system to identify the type of legal cases at Primary and Appellate Courts.
• Assisted the Kabul Judicial Conference to draft and disseminate advisory opinions that were used for trainings at seven regional judicial conferences supported by ADALAT.
• Implemented the Afghanistan Justice Engagement Model in 32 districts for 3,440 men and 2,880 women to improve the legality and fairness of traditional dispute resolution.
• Supported improvements to the process for training and evaluating potential judges, including a preparatory course for 256 female Sharia and Law Faculty graduates to increase their chances for passing the judicial exam.