Overall Objective:
To strengthen the capacity and independence of the judiciary to reach just decisions that uphold human rights.
FHRI’s Rights and Rule of Law Campaign started with a programme that the organization implemented in partnership with Freedom House (US) a US based non-profit organisation under the title: Governing Uganda Accountably, Responsively, and Democratically (GUARD) program (2014 -2019), a USAID Rights and Rule of Law programme. FHRI, in collaboration with other partners, sought to catalyse change in the judiciary, civil society, and the media in Uganda.
Within the GUARD Consortium, FHRI contributed towards the judiciary strengthening component that desired to strengthen judicial independence and support the judiciary to reach decisions that are consistently just and uphold constitutional, legal and human rights of citizens. This intervention cultivated a more legitimate and functional human rights and rule of law framework in Uganda. The major beneficiaries of this intervention are the judiciary, civil society and the media. The RRL campaign focused on providing technical assistance through training for judicial officers, and members of civil society organisations in Uganda.
This intervention was built on earlier FHRI initiatives on strengthening the independence of the judiciary through capacity-building and the success in setting human rights standards and precedents with respect to the death penalty and pre-trial detention. The campaign also includes the use of strategic litigation as a tool for social transformation.
Below are the major activities under the Rights and Rule of Law Unit:
- Capacity Building of Judicial Officers to promote Judicial Independence
- Public Interest Litigation
- Judicial exchange programmes for judicial officers and legal practitioners.
- Judicial Roundtables
- Research and knowledge sharing.