Rule of law activities

The ROL Section activities fall within the frameworks of the National Program on Peace Building (Plan de Consolidation de la Paix (PCP) in the Western Region of the DRC and the Provincial Comités Techniques Conjoints (CTC) of the Stabilization Program (Programme de Stabilisation de l'Est de la RDC) in the Eastern part of the DRC. The ROLS also participates in the establishment of coordination mechanisms in the justice sector throughout the country within these two partnerships and joint programming frameworks. 

Here are some example of the Rule of Law Section activities, on a day-to-day basis, within the three main axes of support of justice reform, strengthening of justice institutions and capacity building: 

  • Supporting the judicial inspections at the request of Prosecutors and Magistrates in the eleven provinces with the main goal of monitoring all cases of pretrial detention, and aiming at improving justice system in the DRC.
  • Providing logistical and technical support to judicial authorities in the whole process of holding mobile court hearings in all jurisdictions of the country. Cases deal with serious crimes including sexual violence and murder.
  • Assisting the Ministry of Interior and the PNC to organize a training session tailored for senior police investigators (Officiers de Police Judiciaire). It is anticipated that 150 OPJ will be trained in each of the following provinces for a total of 600: Equateur, North and South Kivu, Bas Congo and Katanga. Sessions are due to take place in July and August.
  • Supporting the process of the census of judges and other judicial personnel in close collaboration with the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature (CSM) throughout the country. This exercise will assess judicial staffing needs in each jurisdiction of the DRC. Infrastructure needs are also being evaluated and Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) are being developed. The ROLS also assist the Government of the DRC in the deployment of magistrates to their places of appointment;
  • Assisting the Ministry of Justice and the Auditorat Militaire in organizing a series of training seminars for civilian and military judges on judicial ethics and responsibility in close cooperation with DILLS (Defense Institute of International Legal Studies) throughout the country. 
  • Supporting the CSM to map the justice system and organizing workshops for civilian and military justice personnel (magistrates, registrars, clerks of the court, secretaries of the office of the prosecutor, judicial inspectors and court bailiffs), as well as for civil society actors, notably human rights NGOs, throughout the country.