International Commission of Jurists
Composed of 60 eminent judges and lawyers from all regions of the world, the International Commission of Jurists promotes and protects human rights through the Rule of Law, by using its unique legal expertise to develop and strengthen national and international justice systems. Established in 1952 and active on the five continents, the ICJ aims to ensure the progressive development and effective implementation of international human rights and international humanitarian law; secure the realization of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights; safeguard the separation of powers; and guarantee the independence of the judiciary and legal profession.
Centre for the Independence for Judges and Lawyers
The ICJ’s Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) brings together global legal and policy expertise and connections to relevant UN bodies and international legal professional associations, from its Legal and Policy Office in Geneva, with on-the-ground experience and legal insight from each of the ICJ’s regional programmes.
The CIJL leads global policy development and legal analysis, for and on behalf of the ICJ, on all aspects of the independence and accountability of judges, lawyers and prosecutors, as well as their essential role in securing the rule of law and legal protection for human rights.
The CIJL also publishes guidance to legal practitioners, participates in expert meetings and standard-setting processes of UN and other international bodies, and serves as a forum for cross-regional exchange of experience and expertise.
The CIJL organizes the annual ICJ Geneva Forum on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.
The CIJL maintains a list of key international and regional standards.
Current ICJ Initiatives and Publications
-
The main goal of the ICJ International Law and Protection Programme is to promote the application of international law to violations of a civil, political, social or economic nature. The focus is on the international obligations of states to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights through the Rule of Law, to protect victims of human rights violations, and to hold states and non-state actors accountable for these violations and abuses.
The ICJ International Law and Protection Programme focuses on specific areas of the international law. They include:
Independence of Judges and Lawyers;
Accountability;
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
Business and Human Rights;
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity;
Women’s Human Rights;
UN Human Rights Mechanisms; and
Global Security and the Rule of Law.
-
The Regional Programmes, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central America, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa, focus on promoting and supporting the independence of the judiciary, and the Rule of Law and human rights issues specific to their regional contexts.
The ICJ has regional offices in Brussels (Belgium), Bangkok (Thailand), Johannesburg (South Africa), Tunis (Tunisia) and Guatemala City (Guatemala), and a country office in Nepal. The Europe Programme and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Programme both partly operate from the office in Geneva.
-
The ICJ launches frequent reports across a range of issue areas, including a frequent journal, bulletin, annual report, regional reports, and practitioners guides.
Check in here to learn more about ICJ Publications
Check in here to look at ICJ Advocacy InitiativesCheck in here to look at ICJ Advocacy Initiatives