BUJUMBURA March 21st (ABP) – The Ministry of Justice organized Monday, March 18, in Bujumbura, the first meeting of the sectoral and rule of law group with the objective of presenting the interventions of development partners working in the sector of justice and their contribution to the implementation of the sectoral strategy of the Ministry of Justice, through the various action plans with a view to maximizing the impact of interventions to cover the entire national territory.
In her speech, the Minister of Justice, Ms. Domine Banyankimbona, indicated that in all societies, justice plays an important role. It is the vector of peace and social and economic development.
It is in this sense that the various policies and long-term visions of the Burundian government give pride of place to the promotion of justice and the protection of human rights, in addition to the objectives of strengthening political institutions and actors, security of goods and people, the effectiveness of institutions, the eradication of inequalities and the promotion of social cohesion, said Mrs. Banyankimbona.
She also indicated that remarkable progress has been made in recent years in the justice sector, as evidenced by the reform of regulatory and legislative texts aimed at improving access to justice and the law, creation of new courts of appeal to reduce the distance that litigants must travel in search of justice, strengthening the capacities of justice actors, strengthening a coordination framework for partners in the justice sector, as well as the strengthening of alternative mechanisms for conflict resolution to relieve congestion in courts and tribunals.
Despite these significant advances, challenges are still observed in the justice sector, especially the slowness in making judicial decisions, the limited capacity of justice actors, the poor access to legal information, the non-modernization of judicial services, the corruption of certain justice actors, prison overcrowding as well as unsuitable judicial and penitentiary infrastructures, reported Minister Banyankimbona.
In order to deal with judicial slowness, she announced, Burundi has adopted a new code of organization, judicial jurisdiction and civil procedure aimed at reducing judicial slowness.
Concerning prison overcrowding, Mrs. Banyankimbona informed that the ministry is at work and that activities to reduce it have already begun. She also noted that the Ministry of Justice has also adopted a 2023-2027 sectoral strategy, in alignment with the National Development Plan (PND) 2018-2027 and the long-term vision of the country. Its objective is to promote justice that is independent, equitable, accessible to all, efficient and conciliatory, adapted to the needs of the population and in the service of sustainable development.
Minister Banyankimbona noted that to achieve this objective, it is important that justice builds strong links of collaboration and cooperation with different development partners, interacting in a coordinated manner with synergy and complementarity of action, thus contributing effectively to the implementation of the PND 2018-2027 and the 2040-2060 vision. For this reason, she said, the Ministry of Justice has established a framework for coordination and consultation of development partners whose main mission is to provide strategic direction; to strengthen coordination, synergy and harmonization of justice support programs and projects; and to promote their alignment with national priorities as defined in the country’s strategic planning documents in general and the sectoral strategy of the Ministry of Justice in particular.
Mrs. Banyankimbona, on this occasion, indicated that by uniting efforts and resources, the Ministry of Justice and its partners will be able to catalyze change and contribute significantly to the construction of a fair and efficient judicial system that can serve as an interest to all. She invited all justice stakeholders to work in close collaboration with determination to transform common aspirations into concrete and sustainable actions.