Justice Action Coalition Catalytic Fund: Highlights of the Catalytic Fund Projects

Anchored in the JAC vision to close the justice gap and leave no one behind, UNDP leads the JAC workstream on ‘Strategy, Programming and Innovation’ and implements the JAC Catalytic Fund on People-Centred Justice, supporting countries in the co-creation and implementation of demand-driven strategies for people-centred justice reforms and initiatives at the national level and broker access to international expertise, partnerships, and financial support.

In 2024, UNDP’s efforts focused on establishing the foundations for implementation and building momentum for people-centred initiatives in six countries: Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sierra Leone. In each context, the interventions were designed to improve access to justice through formal and informal mechanisms, with a focus on civil, family, land and small claims disputes that disproportionately affect women, youth and other marginalized groups. In 2025, the interventions expanded from six to nine country engagements, with new projects in Ethiopia, Malawi and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Project implementation  is accompanied by a peer-to-peer learning  and exchange platform that has matured into a practical engine to build and strengthen evidence, safeguards, and partnerships.

This document presents a compilation of justice reform initiatives, pilots, and people-centered solutions supported by the JAC Catalytic Fund. Through legal empowerment, digitization, community-based models, and data-driven reform, these initiatives illustrate how inclusive justice systems can advance equality, human rights, and sustainable development. They also demonstrate how catalytic, small-scale interventions can generate outsized impact and transferable learning. Together, they provide policymakers, practitioners, and partners with tested approaches to reimagine justice delivery with a people centred lens, promote institutional transformation, and replicate successful reforms in other countries pursuing equitable and accessible justice for all.