Last week two new buildings for the Courts of Peace was inaugurated in the Department of the West, to Grand-Goâve and to Petit-Goâve. The rehabilitation/reconstruction of buildings that had become unusable, which hindered the functioning of justice, has been funded by the United Nations Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minustah) through its budget line of quick impact projects (QIPs), managed by the Civil Affairs Section of the Mission. This is a concrete contribution of the Minustah to the strengthening of the rule of law in Haiti.

The request for intervention of the MINUSTAH for the rehabilitation / reconstruction of both tribunals had been made by the Town Halls of these two municipalities. The projects were developed and implemented in partnership with the town councils, the Ministry of Justice and the local judicial authorities. The goal is to ensure access to justice for all in both jurisdictions (that of Grand-Goâve has some 10,000 inhabitants and that of Petit-Goâve some 20,000), and to maximize the services provided to litigants by improving the conditions of work of the judiciary, therefore to strengthen the institutional capacity in this area.

To Grand-Goâve, the Court of Peace has four rooms for judges, a room for the clerks, a courtroom, a preventive detention cell and two toilets, all enclosed by a wall. In addition to court staff and lawyers, some 3,000 direct beneficiaries have been identified among the litigants. The indirect beneficiaries are estimated at about 10,000 people to Grand Goâve and seven communal sections.

For its part, the Court of Peace of Petit-Goâve has two custody cells (male and female), four rooms for judges, a room for the clerks, a court room, two toilets, a deposit and a secretariat, also fenced. 5,000 people including judges, clerks, lawyers and litigants directly benefit from this project, 20,000 others of the town of Petit-Goâve and 12 communal sections benefit indirectly.

The inauguration of this new infrastructure took place in the presence of representative of the Minister of Justice, the Acting Director of the Department of Justice, representatives of local authorities, local justice authorities, and representatives of the UN mission and other partners in the project, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which also contributed to these projects.

Access to Justice, is one of the pillars of the rule of law advocated by the new Government of Haiti, and also one of the pillars of support of the Minustah to the Haitian State in favor of strengthening of the rule of law, including by strengthening the institutions of justice and of correctional system.

HL/ HaitiLibre