Our latest Annual Report provides a summary of the work we did to protect human rights and uphold the rule of law in 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant challenges. Successes achieved throughout the year have been highlighted in this report.
2020 proved to be an incredibly challenging year for the work of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) as the Covid-19 pandemic spread globally, placing new strains on the realization of human rights, and authoritarian governments increasingly used the pandemic to justify exceptional measures restricting human rights and the rule of law.
In the same year, we also developed our new strategic plan for 2021-25 which is aimed towards the continued development and implementation of human rights law, with an accent on accountability, access to justice and strengthening the role of independent judiciary and bar.
“We are certain that the future will see an even higher demand for the ICJ’s mandate of defending a rules-based global order and strengthening international institutions dedicated to justice and human rights. Our new strategy must be flexible enough to allow us to continue the essential task of bolstering the rule of law at the global, regional, and national levels, while also preparing for the known and unknown challenges to human rights in the future,” – Sam Zarifi, ICJ Secretary General.
All the regions where the ICJ works have been affected by Covid-19 and the related restrictions. While the world adjusted to a ‘new normal’, programme activities were adapted and the ICJ proved to be resilient to the emerging challenges.
Download the report to read more about our work in 2020: