When Access to Justice Strengthens Democracy

Side event of the Sixth Session of the UN Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Robert & Helen Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at NYU School of Law, co-leads of the Justice Action Coalition’s Thematic Track on Democracy and the Rule of Law, together with Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, which serves as the Coalition’s Secretariat, will convene this side event in the framework of the sixth session of the UN Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. The event is supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and co-sponsored by the Government of Canada and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

The session will examine whether, and under what conditions, access to justice strengthens democratic governance, convening Member States, Special Procedures, justice practitioners, researchers, and civil society to explore this topic.

Agenda

Introduction

• Professor Margaret L. Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
• Claire Thuaudet, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the UN Office at Geneva
• Pacharo Kayira, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Malawi to the UN Office at Geneva

 Research and Civil Society Perspectives

Moderator: Themba Mahleka, Secretariat of the Justice Action Coalition, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC)

• Ben Polk, Research Scholar, Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, NYU School of Law
• Jiajun Luo, University of Warwick
• Michael Otto, Namati (Grassroots Justice Network)
• Vesna Shapkoski, Founder, LET Station, North Macedonia (Grassroots Justice Network)
• Open discussion

The session will be held in English, in person and online. In-person participation requires registration for the Sixth Session of the Forum through OHCHR’s Indico platform by November 12; participants not accredited to the Forum should contact the organizers to arrange access. A light lunch will be served from 13:00. Seating is limited.