Publication: Policy Brief
February 11, 2026
Closing the Justice Gap: How Open and People-Centered Justice Can Drive the Change
By Fernando Marani, Laura Ospina, Nate Edwards
Over the past decade, collective global efforts to strengthen and expand access to justice have generated tangible progress across local, national, and regional contexts—including innovative and digital solutions, more accountable court systems, improved data availability, and outcome-oriented approaches that better address people's justice needs and their lived experiences.
This paper proposes that the next phase of justice reform should connect open justice and people-centered justice as mutually reinforcing approaches. The Justice Action Coalition and the Open Government Partnership are uniquely positioned to catalyze this new approach to reform. Together, they can help governments and their partners integrate the principles of transparency and accountability into people-centered justice strategies, and conversely ensure that open justice commitments are designed with fair outcomes in sight.
This paper also:
- Explores how these two approaches can reinforce each other to produce meaningful transformation.
- Defines the core concepts of open justice and people-centered justice, outlining their origins, principles, and key global platforms.
- Compares the two paradigms, identifying their shared goals and distinct approaches, and illustrates how their integration can strengthen both accountability and results.
- Shares practical examples of how the two concepts intersect within national contexts along with policy implications for governments, international organizations, donors, and civil society partners.
