Judicial Strengthening to Improve Court Effectiveness (JUSTICE) Project

The Judicial Strengthening to Improve Court Effectiveness (JUSTICE) Project will incorporate and work toward several Rule of Law objectives that have been agreed by the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the United States Government (USG) in the Joint Action Plan of the Partnership for Growth (PFG). The project will contribute to the goal of the PFG to shift the Philippines from a low growth path to a higher, sustained and more inclusive growth on par with other high-performing emerging economies. The project will help decrease the cost of doing business and increase investor confidence in the Philippines through the more efficient and predictable adjudication of court cases, particularly those involving corruption, commercial disputes, intellectual property rights violations and contract enforcement. A large portion of project resources will address the need to improve judicial efficiency, particularly: (a) reducing docket congestion, and (b) reducing court delays. USAID has supported programs that have worked successfully toward this end with pilot Philippine courts over the past several years. Through this project, USAID seeks to support greatly expanded coverage of such tested judicial efficiency improvements. In addition, USAID seeks to support related components that address the Rule of Law objectives of (c) strengthening Contract Enforcement, (d) strengthening the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, and (e) supporting integrity and confidence-building measures for the justice system.