OECD 2017 Policy Roundtable: Equal Access to Justice

Dates: 22-23 May(Roundtable), 24 May (Joint OECD/OSJI workshop)

Location: OECD Conference Centre, Paris

Background

Building on the OECD 2015 Policy Roundtables on Equal Access to Justice and a series of 2016 high-level events organised jointly with Open Society Foundations, the Roundtable aimed to deepen the understanding of country approaches for placing people at the centre of legal and justice systems and discussed evidence-based policy tools and criteria to ensure legal and justice service delivery meets people’s needs. The event took place in the context of increasing efforts to strengthen equal access to justice for inclusive growth and sustainable development, in particular in the context of national implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16 on inclusive institutions and access to justice.

The Roundtable showcased country approaches for understanding what works and for assessing the impact of legal assistance provisions and justice services, including their relevance, outcomes, cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Discussions focused on practices and initiatives in strengthening legal capability and literacy as a preventive approach and integrating a gender lens into service delivery of justice systems.

The roundtable was followed by a joint Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and OECD technical discussion on Understanding Civil Justice Through Person-based Survey Methodologies (French). The two-part workshop included an open discussion of how person-based civil justice surveys positively impact justice planning and delivery.

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