The tenth meeting of the Task Force on Access to Justice took place from 27 February 2017 to 28 February 2017 (morning) in Geneva (Palais des Nations, Salle XI).
The meeting aimed to provide a platform for exchanging information on key recent developments concerning legislation, policy and case law with regard to the implementation of the third pillar of the Convention and possible measure to remove barriers hampering its implementation and therefore to contribute to implementing targets 16.3 (Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all) and 16.10 (Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements) of the Sustainable Development Goal 16 and other relevant goals and targets.
The thematic session of the meeting focused on enabling effective access to justice for all without persecution and harassment. Mr. Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, addressed the meeting with the keynote statement on the situation of environmental human rights defenders.
In addition, the participants discussed recent developments related to (a) standing, (b) the scope of review, (c) adequate and effective remedies, (d) costs and (e) any other emerging issues or issues of a systemic nature that might impede the implementation of the third pillar of the Convention.
Furthermore, the participants examined tools to promote effective access to justice, including specialization of judges, courts and tribunals, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution methods, e-justice initiatives, evaluation of effectiveness and capacity-building initiatives.
Read more about the meeting here.
Documents, presentations and statements
Documents, presentations and statements are available in the section below.
The background material for the meeting included relevant information derived from 2017 and 2014 national implementation reports and the 2014 synthesis report as well as the Convention’s Implementation Guide, the analytical studies and the jurisprudence database developed under auspices of the Task Force.