Recently, I came across this very interesting site on The Rule of Law Index 2010 which I believe is vital information for everyone.
According to Wikipedia HERE, The rule of law is a legal maxim that states no person is immune to law. The phrase has been used since the 17th century, but the concept can be traced to ancient Greece. Aristotle put it this way: "law should govern". Rule of law stands in contrast to the idea that the sovereign is above the law (rex lex), a feature of Roman Law and other legal systems.
One way to be free from the rule of law is by denying that an enactment has the necessary attributes of law. The rule of law has therefore been described as "an exceedingly elusive notion" giving rise to a "rampant divergence of understandings".
After three years of intensive development, testing, and vetting—including interviewing 41,000 people and over 900 experts in 35 countries—the World Justice Project has released the first annual WJP Rule of Law Index which you can download HERE.
The four “universal principles” that emerged from the deliberations of those involved in the report include:
I. The government and its officials and agents are accountable under the law.
II. The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and fair, and protect fundamental rights, including
the security of persons and property.
III. The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, fair,
and efficient.
IV. Access to justice is provided by competent, independent, and ethical adjudicators, attorneys or representatives, and judicial officers who are of sufficient number, have
adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.
The report noted that the principles address the extent to which a country provides for fair participation in the making of the laws and that this point is an essential attribute of self-government.
Secondly, the report also stated that the principles address the extent to which a country protects fundamental human rights.
Thirdly, it stated that "the principles address access to justice, but chiefly in terms of access to legal representation and access to the courts, rather than in the “thicker” sense in which access to justice is sometimes seen as synonymous with broad legal empowerment of the poor and disfranchised. Access to justice in this more limited sense is a critical cornerstone for the implementation of policies and rights that empower the poor."
A few months ago, THIS LINK reported that a leading Chinese human-rights expert has called for the rule of law to be applied when handling human rights and development issues. The report said that to improve the capacity and level of human-rights protection through scientific development and to smooth relations between human rights and development, law-based governance is needed, Luo Haocai, president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said at the opening of the Third Beijing Forum on Human Rights on Tuesday.
The Overseas Development Institute at THIS LINK gives a comprehensive discussion on why the rule of law matters in development. It argues that "Rule of law anchors the relationship between state and society around an accepted set of political, social and economic rules. It is the foundation, and the result, of political settlement. For two decades the donor community has – quite rightly – supported rule of law reform, but this support has been based on a vast range of agendas and objectives ranging from rights protection to anti-corruption strategies to criminal justice reform. Donor support has been motivated sometimes by concerns on the legal security of property rights, sometimes by the drive for human rights protection and the principles of due process. It has also been driven by governance and accountability issues and the need for state-building, and, increasingly, by security concerns." CLICK HERE for more.
As our society progresses, may there be greater support for rule of law, rights-based citizenship and greater respect for human rights. Currently, where do you think our country stands with regards to the rule of law?
According to Wikipedia HERE, The rule of law is a legal maxim that states no person is immune to law. The phrase has been used since the 17th century, but the concept can be traced to ancient Greece. Aristotle put it this way: "law should govern". Rule of law stands in contrast to the idea that the sovereign is above the law (rex lex), a feature of Roman Law and other legal systems.
One way to be free from the rule of law is by denying that an enactment has the necessary attributes of law. The rule of law has therefore been described as "an exceedingly elusive notion" giving rise to a "rampant divergence of understandings".
After three years of intensive development, testing, and vetting—including interviewing 41,000 people and over 900 experts in 35 countries—the World Justice Project has released the first annual WJP Rule of Law Index which you can download HERE.
The four “universal principles” that emerged from the deliberations of those involved in the report include:
I. The government and its officials and agents are accountable under the law.
II. The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and fair, and protect fundamental rights, including
the security of persons and property.
III. The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, fair,
and efficient.
IV. Access to justice is provided by competent, independent, and ethical adjudicators, attorneys or representatives, and judicial officers who are of sufficient number, have
adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.
The report noted that the principles address the extent to which a country provides for fair participation in the making of the laws and that this point is an essential attribute of self-government.
Secondly, the report also stated that the principles address the extent to which a country protects fundamental human rights.
Thirdly, it stated that "the principles address access to justice, but chiefly in terms of access to legal representation and access to the courts, rather than in the “thicker” sense in which access to justice is sometimes seen as synonymous with broad legal empowerment of the poor and disfranchised. Access to justice in this more limited sense is a critical cornerstone for the implementation of policies and rights that empower the poor."
A few months ago, THIS LINK reported that a leading Chinese human-rights expert has called for the rule of law to be applied when handling human rights and development issues. The report said that to improve the capacity and level of human-rights protection through scientific development and to smooth relations between human rights and development, law-based governance is needed, Luo Haocai, president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said at the opening of the Third Beijing Forum on Human Rights on Tuesday.
The Overseas Development Institute at THIS LINK gives a comprehensive discussion on why the rule of law matters in development. It argues that "Rule of law anchors the relationship between state and society around an accepted set of political, social and economic rules. It is the foundation, and the result, of political settlement. For two decades the donor community has – quite rightly – supported rule of law reform, but this support has been based on a vast range of agendas and objectives ranging from rights protection to anti-corruption strategies to criminal justice reform. Donor support has been motivated sometimes by concerns on the legal security of property rights, sometimes by the drive for human rights protection and the principles of due process. It has also been driven by governance and accountability issues and the need for state-building, and, increasingly, by security concerns." CLICK HERE for more.
As our society progresses, may there be greater support for rule of law, rights-based citizenship and greater respect for human rights. Currently, where do you think our country stands with regards to the rule of law?
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