By Omniah Ebeid Promoting the rule of law, preserving independence and ensuring that justice is administered effectively and efficiently are pillars of good governance. Reform initiatives addressing such pillars have been underway in the Middle East, albeit in varying degrees. Good initiatives and intentions aside, however, the environmental realities, more often than not, tend to impede the long term sustainability of such efforts. The lack of adequate resources, reliable data, and tools by which a system's performance is assessed are examples of such impediments. Equally significant is the lack of reliable and institutionalized mechanisms through which knowledge is promoted, produced, applied and diffused in the region. Without the ability and means to share knowledge and foster the creation of regional networks capable of producing and disseminating information on a pan- Arab basis, the region will continue to fall short in its efforts. Concerned with the increasing need to address these issues and the need for sustainable judicial and legal upgrading throughout the Middle East, a distinguished group of Arab legal scholars, esteemed judges, and policy makers have been actively collaborating to establish a regional entity that will focus its efforts on institutionalizing the flow of knowledge and enhancing the rule of law in Arab countries. The concept for the creation of this entity began to take shape at the conclusion the Arab Judicial Forum in 2003 in Bahrain. After three days of discussing some of the most pertinent issues facing the judiciary in the region, participants acknowledged the existing deficiencies in the current systems and recommended the creation of a regional entity that would work to enhance transnational cooperation. Subsequently, a select group of high level representatives including Ministers of Justice, Undersecretaries, Directors of judicial training institutes, chief justices and NGO representatives from Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Iraq, Palestine, MoroccoFrance, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen and Kuwait, to name a few, initiated the process of discussing and strategizing on how best to form this new entity. After numerous meetings that took place in both Jordan and Bahrain, the entity was named the Arab Council for Judicial and Legal Studies (ACJLS), and its vision was developed. The ACJLS will be an independent, non- governmental organization with governmental participation that promotes the rule of law through its regional activities. Specifically, the ACJLS provides the judicial and legal sectors, academia and policy makers with a reliable mechanism for systematic sharing of best practices and emerging trends; and will be a center for conducting research, developing tools and producing reports. The ACJLS will also focus a great deal of its efforts and resources on providing training activities to build the institutional capacities of the judiciary and legal communities. Cognizant of policy issues in promoting the rule of law in the region, the Council will also address such issues by holding a series of policy dialogues and roundtables, and publishing related white papers. In addition, the Council will strive to capitalize on governmental support while leveraging NGO involvement and addressing public opinion in delivering its activities. The ACJLS was successfully inaugurated in Amman in June 2006, with a regional workshop held under the patronage of the Jordanian Ministry of Justice. Over 20 distinguished and prominent regional scholars, legal professionals, international experts and judges served as presenters and panelists at the three-day event. The success of the Conference was marked by the great level of interest in the ACJLS, which was evident by the representation of over 11 Arab countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Focusing on "Promoting the Rule of Law in the Middle East and North Africa," participants were given the opportunity to discuss some of the most pertinent issues facing the judiciary. These included building the public trust in the judiciary, public and media outreach, judicial development and training, and court management. Following the successful inaugural conference, the ACJLS began implementing training activities. In early July, the Council organized a training workshop on Court Management and Court Performance Standards in Algiers, Algeria. Under the patronage of the Minister of Justice and with support from the Ecole Superieure de la Magistrature, the ACJLS held this workshop, with technical guidance from three prominent experts in Court Management. In its continued efforts to upgrade the knowledge base of the judicial and legal sectors in the region, the ACJLS is now being supported by the Ministry of Justice in Bahrain to implement its third training workshop. This training focuses on E- commerce issues, and will host an impressive number of regional and international legal scholars for two days in the capital of Bahrain, Manama. The ACJLS is partnering with the Commercial Law Department Program (CLDP), U.S. Department of States, in implementing the workshop. Additionally, preparations are also underway to implement future events, including a series of policy dialogues. Concurrently, the ACJLS is undergoing the registration process of becoming a non- governmental organization headquartered in Amman, Jordan. Although housed in Amman, the ACJLS is tasked with carrying out its mission on a regional basis. Throughout this period of formation, the Jordanian and Bahraini Ministries of Justice have, and continue to, play a key role in providing valuable support for the ACJLS. The American Bar Association, an independent, non-governmental organization with a long history of supporting the development of the judicial and legal sectors throughout the world, has also been supporting the Council through its technical expertise with financial support from the U.S. Department of State Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development. For additional information regarding the ACJLS, please contact Omniah Ebeid, Program Director, ABA-ACJLS Initiative at (+ 962-6) 461 7083 or at oebeid@aba- mideast.org
