Our work in justice

Our technical cooperation projects in the area of justice focus on four key areas:

1. Promote access to law and justice for citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, by developing legal aid, supporting civil society, combating discrimination and human trafficking, and contributing to the restoration of justice in countries in crisis or emerging from crisis, in particular by supporting transitional justice.
2. Strengthen the independence and quality of justice by assisting with the education and continuing professional development of magistrates, judicial and prison staff, and legal professionals, as well as with the governance of training institutions; promote equitable access to careers in the justice system; support the development and implementation of judicial reforms by assisting institutional governance and management.
3. Strengthen the administration of justice to make the criminal and civil justice systems more efficient; develop mechanisms for mutual international legal assistance; improve the quality of the prison system and facilities; and promote e-justice.
4. Promote environmental and climate justice, youth justice, and digital justice - In environmental and climate justice, our work focuses on prevention, punishment and reparation. We also address the issue of justice for youths, a particularly vulnerable group, in order to establish a protective framework for children and promote their best interests at all times. Finally, we support the implementation of digital projects relating to justice.

Justice Coopération Internationale (JCI) became a part of Expertise France on 1 January 2021. This entity specialised in international legal cooperation, and their amalgamation with our agency has led us to expand our legal portfolio. This makes us the leading player in French development cooperation when it comes to supporting legal institutions at an international level. We now have better access to expertise in justice, legal training and the legal professions, namely that of the Ministry of Justice, the National School for the Judiciary and National School for Prison Administration, and the National Bar Council and High Council of Notaries. We are therefore able to support our partners in their efforts to strengthen the independence, efficiency, quality and transparency of their justice systems.

We take a comprehensive approach to the implementation of justice reforms, strengthening of judicial institutions, and training and support of legal stakeholders in accordance with European and international standards. In doing so, we contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particular SDG 16, which aims to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.

We offer solutions that are tailored to national or regional needs using an inclusive and collaborative approach. We focus in particular on strengthening judicial independence, fighting against corruption, and protecting fundamental rights and the environment. For example, we support the implementation of digital justice projects that improve the effectiveness of public administration by leveraging digital opportunities.

We are scaling up our work in environmental justice given that environmental damage represents an annual loss of more than €200 billion and increases by more than 5% each year. This is why it is urgent to rethink and adapt environmental justice.

We also help countries applying for EU membership to reform and develop good governance, particularly in the justice sector, to help them align with EU standards. Finally, we work in fragile regions to respond to the urgent needs of countries’ legal bodies and displaced populations, and where necessary to document alleged war crimes, while continuing to support justice reforms.