Jamaica has received a boost of CAN$12 million (US$8.9 million) from its longstanding international partner, Canada, through the newly launched Social Justice (So-JUST) Project.
The seven-year initiative, which runs from 2021 to 2028, aims to facilitate a more rights-based and gender-sensitive justice system that yields equitable outcomes for all Jamaicans.
It comes in the wake of the recently concluded Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation (JUST) program, which ran from 2011 to 2021.
So-JUST is intended to integrate the four pillars of social justice – equity, access, participation, and rights.
It will focus specifically on enhancing the rights of and access to justice for women, girls, people with disabilities, and residents of rural and vulnerable communities.
The project is designed to directly benefit the poorest and most disadvantaged users of justice services, in particular survivors of gender-based violence.
Justice Minister, Delroy Chuck, and Canada’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, Emina Tudakovic, were among the speakers at the project’s recent launch.
In his remarks, Chuck thanked the Canadian government for supporting the project, emphasizing that, “Jamaica must respond by becoming a peaceful, safe and secure society”.
“So, this program has now been launched. It’s really one where we expect strong communication, so that every single citizen is made aware that you will have help [and] you can get help.”
The justice minister urged persons to “use the services being provided by the Ministry of Justice and other State agencies… and in doing so, we, hopefully, can create a kinder and gentler society; we certainly can reduce, deter, and prevent many violent confrontations”.
High Commissioner Tudakovic, in her remarks, said Canada is “honored to be associated with the justice reform process in the Caribbean”, and assured that the country “remains committed to supporting stakeholders as they seek a more equitable, efficient and responsive justice system for all”.
For his part, Canada’s Minister of International Development, Harjit Sajjan, outlined that, for many years, his country has been a primary international development partner of the Government of Jamaica.
He also highlighted the importance of the So-JUST Project, which supports mediation, restorative justice, child diversion programs, and child justice coordination systems.
“This directly improves justice outcomes by reducing the backlog in the courts. For women and girls in rural areas, the extension of access to legal-aid systems has a direct impact,” Sajjan said.
The So-JUST Project is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Justice Ministry and the Office of the Chief Justice, with funding from Global Affairs Canada.
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