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"Rule of Law"
Program Materials
Access to justice is identified as a core element of rule of law, alongside clear and consistent rules and principles for the application of laws that uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and the law’s application to all through functional systems of checks and balances. Knowing how different formal and informal aspects of the domestic justice system work, what their pros and cons are, and how to engage the various mechanisms one can choose from are significant contributors in and of themselves to citizen security. In this webinar, panelists will clearly articulate and offer examples from multiple countries that illustrate the ways that expanding citizens’ access to justice (through domestic courts and alternative dispute resolution) can mitigate drivers of insecurity and enhance the security sector’s fulfillment of its duties to the people.
Program Materials
This webinar will provide a forum for African experts to explore the strengths and weaknesses of security sector oversight by a range of formal institutions internal to the state that are designed and committed to bolstering democratic and civilian control of the security sector.
Program
The Africa Center’s rule of law and security sector governance portfolio seeks to provide a trusted platform for senior-level African security and justice professionals, African parliamentarians and parliamentary staff, as well as alumni from civil society and academia, to share information, experiences, and practical ideas about these multiple aspects of rule of law, how they influence citizen security, and what successes and challenges security officials and oversight actors are likely to encounter in their work to enhance the rule of law in African security and defense sectors.
Program Materials
This webinar addresses the strategic interests that African security sector leaders have to make rule of law part of their plans, projects, and day-to-day work, both within security sector institutions and vis-à-vis the populations they serve. It discusses several core elements of rule of law to clarify what it is in principle and as a process. It examines how integrating rule of law into efforts to counter security threats—whether from violent extremism, conflict, and transnational organized crime, and across land, maritime, and cyber domains—can enhance the security sector’s effectiveness in the long run.
Spotlight
published by Catherine Lena Kelly
on May 25, 2021
The integration of justice initiatives within conventional security efforts can mitigate conflict, improve societal resilience, and build a stronger culture supportive of the rule of law.
Spotlight
published by Godfrey Musila
on May 29, 2018
The rule of law is integral to the future stability of South Sudan. While the rule of law will be shaped by the broader political context in South Sudan, spreading the reach of informal courts into the country’s ungoverned spaces will be a vital component of any stability scenario.
Spotlight
published by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies
on May 27, 2020
President Peter Mutharika’s resistance to upholding Malawi’s Constitutional Court ruling on implementing electoral reforms poses a constitutional crisis over executive checks and balances.
Spotlight
published by Kunle Adebajo and Hamza Ibrahim
on October 21, 2024
Criminal gangs in Nigeria’s North West region have grown increasingly lethal, routinizing mass abductions, seizing farms in an important breadbasket, and causing massive internal displacement.
Spotlight
published by Sègnonna Horace Adjolohoun and Paul Nantulya
on July 8, 2024
Despite limited enforcement capacity, the African Court provides an avenue for redress when national judiciaries are unable to dispense justice, underscoring its instrumental role in promoting norms and standards of conduct on the continent.
Spotlight
published by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies
on June 24, 2024
Legislatures play an integral role in advancing national security by ensuring priorities align with citizen interests, budgets are allocated to meet priorities, and adequate oversight exists for the effective use of these resources.
Spotlight
published by Paul Nantulya
on June 7, 2024
South Africa’s pivotal election has thrust the country into uncharted waters. To navigate the opportunities and risks, South Africa will require leaders putting country above party, compromise, and adherence to democratic principles.
Spotlight
published by Joseph Siegle and Jeffrey Smith
on May 31, 2024
In addition to undermining democracy, accommodating Africa’s military coups will exacerbate security, economic, and humanitarian concerns.
