The title of this post describes the work thus far in Serbia. Marlene and I are currently busy updating the UNDP "Turn Guide" which outlines the various reports, projects and findings regarding judicial reform in Serbia. We assess whether the reports are still accessible and if more current findings are now available. Most of the publications outline judicial reform projects and their outcomes in the region and internationally, with particular attention given to the initiatives that the UNDP has been a part of. This is because judicial reform remains a new strategy within Serbia though the Judicial Training Centre, which internalizes many of the recommendations of the reports, has been a fundamental change.

Common to all these judicial reform projects are the requirements of competence- building within the judiciary, regional co-ordination, and committment.

Judicial competence entails the establishment or improvement of a common curriculum and a data base that will outline various training strategies and their respective successes. Such reforms will rebuild public confidence in the judiciary, which has thus far been seen as a corrupt institution. This change in turn promises more use of the formal legal system.

Regional cooperation is key in creating a judiciary system that has the opportunity to share its successes within the region. This dialogue can be facilitated by the Turn Guide for example, which outlines the projects of various regions. Thus keeping the information updated is essential.
The Judicial Training Centre, created by the UNDP, is also promising to serve as a model for similar regional efforts. It is very exciting to be a part of these new initiatives and through updating the Turn Guide, I can observe the similarities within regional judicial reform strategies. I look forward to using this knowledge in the second project that requires us to make recommendations on how to apply the pillars of Legal Empowerment, one of which is improving access to justice.

Finally, domestic and international committment is the element that the reports and our supervisors have stressed to be the most fundamental for long-lasting judicial reform. Committment does not just involve financial committment from the government but rather an ideological committment to respect the judiciary as an independent body. In Serbia, this latter portion seems to be key in rekindling the people's relationship with the judiciary. Establishing professional standards, which are visible and accessible has been the natural starting point for most judicial reform strategies.

While these strategic directions seem straightforward, the situation in Serbia is also unique since the judiciary will neccessary be called upon to deal with the country's post conflict legacy. Given the political differences that are still prevalent in the country and that I have witnessed (in soccer matches, on the walls, over coffee conversations), I am very interested to see how the judiciary, when strengthened, will deal with post- conflict grievances, if at all.

Such issues and strategies only give an overview of the Turn Guide and judicial reform project and while I began this post by stating that we were busy with just updating the Guide, I have come to see that the process has acquainted us with the various avenues that can be used when changing a key institution of society.

I look forward to further updating myself in the coming weeks.

Hoping you are well,