JUST4ALL rule of law project launched in Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, Nov. 4, 2021 . / Kabar / . Ministry of Justice of Kyrgyzstan together with the European Union and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime launched a rule of law project "Support to Justice Sector Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic: Promoting Probation and Integrated Justice Information Management" (JUST4ALL).

Minister of Justice Ayaz Baetov, Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime took part in the signing ceremony of the official document launching the project.

The project was signed in the framework of the First European Union - Central Asia Economic Forum.

Thus, in his speech, Justice Minister Ayaz Baetov pointed out that the EU and UNODC have a good effective basis for cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, which has concrete results and achievements in various areas.

"I would especially like to mention cooperation in the field of the rule of law," he said, adding that the JUST4ALL project is a valuable and important opportunity both for cooperation and for the legal system and the rule of law.

For his part, Dombrovskis noted the EU, in cooperation with the Kyrgyz government, has been supporting rule of law initiatives in the country over the past decade.

"The program we are launching today will build on the success of previous initiatives. The main goal is to increase the country's capacity to implement criminal justice reforms in line with international standards and norms as well as European best practices. As a result, the people of the Kyrgyz Republic will benefit from increased access to justice and the rule of law.

In addition to the EUR 8 million allocated for these activities, the new Rule of Law program provides €3 million to empower civil society to monitor progress in the justice system," the VP of the European Commission said.

The JUST4AL project contributes to the humanization of the criminal justice system in Kyrgyzstan and aims to strengthen the country's capacity to implement criminal justice reforms in line with international standards and norms and European best practices.

The project is designed until 2025, a total of about EUR 8.8 million is provided, of which EUR 8 million is allocated through the European Union.