Launch of the People-Centered Justice Practice Notes

From Principles to Practice: Applying People-Centered Justice Across Institutions

This event is hosted by the Pathfinders’ Justice for All program at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, Sierra Leone’s Justice Sector Coordination Office, Open Government Partnership, and the United Nations Development Programme.

Across regions, justice systems are under growing strain. Rising inequality, protracted conflicts, climate-related displacement, democratic backsliding, and rapid technological change are intensifying the everyday justice problems people face. These problems range from land and family disputes to employment grievances, barriers to legal identity, and administrative injustices. And when these problems go unresolved, they erode trust in institutions, weaken social cohesion, and undermine stability and development. 

In response to these challenges, people-centered justice has emerged as a practical approach for ensuring that justice systems focus on resolving the problems that matter most to people’s lives and livelihoods. It shifts attention away from institutional processes alone and toward outcomes that are fair, timely, affordable, and sustainable: outcomes that restore trust and prevent the escalation of grievances.

To support practitioners in translating this approach into action, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies has developed a series of People-Centered Justice Practice Notes. These notes are designed as practical, role-specific guidance for the institutions and actors that shape justice systems in practice, including judiciaries, ministries of justice, external funders, international partners, and implementing organizations. Rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions, the Practice Notes offer actionable insights tailored to the mandates, constraints, and opportunities faced by different actors. 

This launch event will introduce the People-Centered Justice Practice Notes, highlight their relevance across institutions, and showcase how they can be used to support more coherent, effective, and people-focused justice strategies, policies, programs, and financing decisions. It aims to bridge the gap between global commitments and day-to-day practice, helping justice actors move from principle to implementation. 

Objectives of the Event

The launch event aims to:

• Introduce the People-Centered Justice Practice Notes and their purpose, structure, and intended audience.
• Demonstrate how people-centered justice can be operationalized across different institutional roles, including judiciaries, ministries of justice, funders, and implementing partners.
• Highlight practical insights and examples from practitioners applying people-centered justice in diverse contexts.

Event Format

The event will be a 75-minute virtual launch combining short, focused interventions with moderated discussion. Rather than formal presentations, speakers will be invited to reflect on how the Practice Notes resonate with their institutional role and how they can be applied in practice.

The session will be moderated to ensure coherence across contributions and to draw out common themes and complementarities between different actors.

The format is designed to be accessible, dynamic, and practice-oriented, emphasizing real-world application rather than theory. Time will be allocated to brief audience interaction to encourage reflection and engagement.