The Carter Center’s (TCC) Access to Justice Program seeks to strengthen access to justice for historically marginalized rural citizens with the goal of creating a functional and responsive justice system consistent with local needs, practices, and human rights standards. Specifically,TCC builds upon its successful programmatic model initiated in partnership with USAID in 2006 and further developed under Swedish International Development Agency funding by:

• Providing effective legal information and dispute resolution services at the community level through a network of Community Justice Advisors.
• Strengthening the capacity of tribal leaders, women, and youth to advance good governance, access to justice and resolve community disputes consistent with the rule of law through its “Chiefs Program.”
• Establishing a policy framework to increase access to justice at the community level.

Current Activities

• Training and deployment of 55 Community Justice Advisors to over 470 communities in eight counties to help provide free legal information and dispute resolution services.
• Capacity strengthening for the National Council of Chiefs and Elders to engage in national dispute resolution and policy dialogue.
• Promoting sound public policy on legal aid, including the role of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and paralegals in the legal system.

Planned Outcomes

• Increased understanding of Liberian laws by traditionally marginalized citizens in hard-to-reach communities.
• Improved ability of traditional leaders to resolve simmering disputes consistent with Liberian law and international human rights standards.
• Enhanced Ministry of Justice and judicial support for legislation to officially include ADR and paralegal services in the justice system.