“More Money for Justice, More Justice for the Money”: The Justice Action Coalition’s New Framework for Smarter Justice Investments

How can countries ensure their justice systems meet people’s everyday needs? The Justice Action Coalition has just launched the Justice Financing Framework (JFF), providing practical guidance on financing justice in ways that strengthen the social contract, promote security and stability, and deliver real results for citizens. In this interview, Pathfinders, ODI Global, and HiiL explain what the JFF is and why it matters, how countries can implement it on the ground and what are linkages to the TED network. 

What is the Justice Action Coalition?

Image

Themba Mahleka, Pathfinders: The Justice Action Coalition (JAC) is a multi-stakeholder alliance that brings together 21 governments and 22 organizations committed to delivering measurable improvements in people’s justice outcomes. The origins of the JAC go back to the 2019 Task Force on Justice report, which called for a shift in justice systems by placing people at the center. In 2021, in a Joint Letter to the United Nations Secretary General, 14 governments endorsed the Hague Declaration on People-Centered Justice – an important milestone that effectively marked the birth of the JAC. 

Read more on the work of the Justice Action Coalition.

The JAC has recently launched the Justice Financing Framework – what is it and why does it matter? 

Themba Mahleka, Pathfinders: The Justice Financing Framework (JFF) responds to a pressing gap: global funding for rule of law and access to justice has been declining, while many countries still struggle to resource the services people rely on every day, e.g. when they want to solve their land or family disputes. This is why smarter and more sustainable justice financing has been at the heart of the JAC, driven by Pathfinders and in technical cooperation with ODI Global and HiiL. The JFF builds on many years of research and on the evidence generated through justice needs surveys. 

The JFF is aimed at governments, specifically the Justice and Finance ministries, seeking guidance on how to adjust their justice systems to better serve people, thereby investing in a full ecosystem of people-centred services – not just courts but also community-based mechanisms, mediation, information, legal aid and assistance and early-resolution approaches. It also provides an investment case for stakeholders wishing to support this transition, not only because it affects millions, but also because addressing people’s everyday problems can repair and strengthen the social contract, with positive implications for security, peace, and stability and the country’s broader development agenda.

First, the JFF calls for increased national investment in justice, including reviewing existing fee structures and exploring new options such as collaboration with the private sector to ease financing pressure. Second, it focuses on spending smarter by guiding countries in budgeting and financing towards people-centered justice. In this regard, it offers something genuinely new, drawing from sectors like education and health that have successfully scaled front line services to reach millions of people. Put simply, the JFF calls for “more money for justice and more justice for the money”. Read more about the 4 “Financing Ambitions” and 7 Justice Policy Recommendations in the Justice Financing Framework Report - Justice Action Coalition. 

Following the Justice Financing Framework’s launch – what is next?

Clare Manuel, ODI: As the framework moves from design to implementation, the next step is to pilot the JFF with countries that have embraced people-centered justice and are eager to transition to a more outcome-oriented approach to budgeting. Pilots need to be context-specific and can take different forms.

On a larger scale, the process would start by identifying people’s unmet justice needs – similar to asking, some forty years ago, not “what do hospitals need?” but “what can be done for millions who lack basic healthcare?” Using the Ministry of Justice as a starting point, countries can map key stakeholders, examine how justice sector resourcing currently operates, and determine where improvements and changes are needed.

At a more modest level, countries can focus on specific front-line services, identify cost-effective, locally-developed solutions, and explore how to scale them.

What role can TED play, and how can the network support?

Zainab Malik, HiiL: TED can help disseminate and promote the framework at a crucial moment: as ODA declines, mobilising domestic funding and supporting governments interested to pilot or adapt the JFF is more important than ever. TED could use its convening power among donors to coordinate discussions on effective resource use, while also scoping opportunities to engage with partner governments and explore ways to support the transition to people-centered justice. 

Thereby TED is well placed to break down silos and craft compelling advocacy messages for decision-makers, especially from outside the justice sector, who need clear arguments for why investing in people-centered justice is smart, cost-effective and essential for development.

Finally, TED’s engagement can help ensure that lessons from pilots feed back into European discussions, strengthening the JFF and supporting the shift towards justice systems that truly respond to people’s everyday needs.

The interview was conducted by the TED Secretariat with Themba Mahleka, Associate Director, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, Clare Manuel, Senior Research Associate, ODI Global and Zainab Malik, Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor, HiiL.