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The EU Promotes Equal Access to Justice and Human Rights in the Philippines
The EU-Philippines Justice Support Programme (EPJUST II) aims to assist all citizens of the Philippines in general, and the poor and disadvantaged, including women, children, minorities, indigenous peoples and human rights and social activists in particular, to achieve equitable access to and efficient enforcement of justice. To reach this goal, the Programme supports the efforts of the Government of the Philippines and Civil Society to achieve three specific objectives in three separate components:
Component I: Enhancing Accessibility
Enhancing accessibility of of the civil and criminal justice system by facilitating people's access to legal information and assistance and enhancing the provision of quicker and fairer judicial services.
Component II: Fighting Impunity
Fighting Impunity by making the criminal justice system more efficient in preventing and punishing major crimes in general and extra-legal killings and enforced disappearances in particular through the improvement of the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication processes.
Component III: Enhancing Transparency and Accountability
Enhancing transparency and accountability by strengthening the tools to measure the justice system's performance and the mechanisms for its regular "external" assessment.
EPJUST II directly supports 7 of the 9 priorities identified in the 2011-2016 Philippines Development Plan for the Rule of Law which figures prominently as the cornerstone of good governance and a prerequisite for economic growth and poverty reduction.
These include:
- Strengthen the oversight bodies
- Effective and speedy resolution of cases in courts and quasi-judicial bodies
- Enhance the integrity and competence of judges, court personnel and other officers of the judiciary and quasi-judicial bodies
- Increase resources for justice sector agencies
- Improve access to justice of all sectors of society particularly the vulnerable groups
- Promote the use of Alternate Dispute Resolution
- Institutionalize existing justice sector coordinating mechanisms
Our approach to this technical assistance project will be to work closely with our partners, donors and civil society to build on the foundations of previous and ongoing assistance projects with the result of empowering the public administration of the Philippines to ensure justice for all.
