Methods for increasing public trust in judicial institutions explored at ODIHR event in Montenegro

The relationship between the work of judicial self-governance bodies and judicial independence and accountability was the focus of a regional roundtable discussion organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Podgorica on 28 and 29 September 2017.

The roundtable gathered 25 participants, including representatives of judicial councils, civil society organizations and five OSCE field operations in South Eastern Europe, to take stock of and identify ways to overcome challenges with respect to the role, composition and effective and transparent functioning of judicial self-governance bodies in the region.

“This regional roundtable provides a unique opportunity to assess the applicability of ODIHR’s Kyiv Recommendations on Judicial Independence in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia to the South Eastern European context,” said Ghenadie Barba, Chief of the Rule of Law Unit at ODIHR.

“Judicial self-governance bodies have an important role to play in safeguarding and promoting the independence and accountability of the judiciary,” said Ambassador Maryse Daviet, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, noting that the work of such bodies, therefore, has a critical impact on public trust in judicial institutions.

By comparing models of judicial self-governance throughout the OSCE region, participants analyzed how international standards and best practices might be integrated into ongoing judicial reform processes in their respective countries.

ODIHR has a long-standing record of engagement with both judicial and civil society actors across the OSCE region in the context of promoting judicial independence and accountability and within its broader support to participating States on rule of law issues. The conclusions from this roundtable will further inform this work.