Four new vehicles for Justice stakeholders to extend justice outreach

Honiara, February 23 – “Access to justice is a human right but in Solomon Islands it is a luxury due the lack of resources by the government offices that support the judiciary system, the dispersed geographical nature of the country and the difficulties and high costs of transport”, we heard George Gray, Public Solicitor of Solomon Islands, say not long ago. This statement is the epitome of the Enhancing Access to Justice in Solomon Islands project implemented by UNDP and funded by Australia.

This statement held a special meaning today at the handover of 4 vehicles: two vehicles to the Public Solicitor’s Offices (PSO) to be located in Western Province and Temotu Province, one vehicle to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and one to Legal Policy Unit (LPU), both within the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs (MJLA) to support them to extend justice services to reach all citizens of Solomon Islands.

During the handover, the Public Solicitor acknowledged the long-standing partnership with Australia and UNDP in delivering access to justice for all. “These new four vehicles, together with the other four ones previously provided to us for the PSO offices in Honiara, Kira Kira, Auki and Gizo, will greatly assist our lawyers and offices to better deliver access to justice for our people and communities,” said Public Solicitor Gray.

Also acknowledging this support, the acting Permanent Secretary from the MJLA, Joy Angi, added that “To remedy injustice, end impunity, and protect the rights of current and future generations, justice systems, services and institutions must be fair, accountable, accessible and able to deliver quality justice services for all, especially the most marginalized, vulnerable and furthest behind. The handover of these vehicles is timely in assisting us when we are in need most, of helping to deliver justice services all over Solomon Islands as access to reliable transport is one of the biggest challenges we face.”

At the handover, Lindsay Buckingham, Minister Counsellor from the Australian High Commission in Solomon Islands affirmed that: “

Nanise Saune-Qaloewai, Programme Manager from UNDP, highlighted “the need to ensure that justice is delivered effectively to everyone regardless of their locations. UNDP with generous funding from Australia, has been a proud partner with Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs , Public Solicitor Office,  Director of Public Prosecution, and the Legal Policy Unit ensuring all members of society, especially women, youth and people with disabilities from remote communities can access legal services. We are pleased to support these institutions to expand its legal outreach capability with the delivery of these four new vehicles.”

The Enhancing Access to Justice in Solomon Islands project supports access to the formal justice sector in the Solomon Islands caused by a lack of physical access, lack of community awareness and due to the high costs borne by both individuals in accessing services and by

government in supplying a sufficient quantity and quality of service delivery to all the provinces.

The lack of access particularly impacts vulnerable groups including people with disabilities, women and victims of violence in remote and rural areas who are the least able to vindicate their rights. Lack of access leads to disaffection with the justice system and inefficient use of resources spent on dealing with large problems rather than dealing with and preventing smaller problems at a local level. Access to justice is an integral element of any successful peacebuilding and long-term development process.

The project consists of three mutually enforcing components. First, the need to provide access to justice to communities that due to government resource constraints, remoteness or the cost of transport are not served by the formal justice system. Second, the need to enhance the reach, depth, service delivery and effectiveness of the lawyers of the PSO, the key demand side justice institution in the Solomon Islands. Finally, a prerequisite to meeting the above is the need to have strong sustainable direction in the PSO into the medium term.

With the support of the project, the PSO has made significant strides to ensure people have equal access to justice. With the help of Provincial Paralegals and Community Legal Advocates community awareness programmes, almost 25,000 Solomon Islanders have a better understanding of their rights and justice services available to them. The handover ceremony of the vehicles was held today, Friday 23 February 2024.