Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Funds (ARTF), part 2, with preference for Justice Service Delivery project (JSDP II)

The development objective of the project is to increase the access to and use of legal services. The project seeks to help implement the Government’s National Priority Program, mitigate the impact of the Transition, put the system on a sustainable path for long term results and improve service delivery. It will focus on achieving this through improvements to the scope and quality of legal services and to the productivity and accountability of legal service providers. The ARTF is a multi-donor trust fund supported by 33 donors and administered by the World Bank. The Government of Afghanistan is a key player in the ARTF – all funds are channeled through government systems with ministries and government agencies responsible for implementing all projects. The trust fund modality provides funding predictability for the Government of Afghanistan within a robust fiduciary and monitoring framework. The ARTF also provides a coordination and dialogue mechanism and a platform for policy dialogue on key reforms with the Government. The ARTF provides financing for key national priority programs (NPPs). It finances the civilian operating budget support. Through the Incentive Program. the ARTF supports a reform agenda led by Ministry of Finance, delivering key policy and economic reforms in support of fiscal sustainability. "The ARTF remains the vehicle of choice for pooled funding, with low overhead/transaction costs, excellent transparency and high accountability, and provides a well-functioning arena for policy debate and consensus creation". (ARTF External Evaluation Report 2012: ARTF at a Cross-Roads; History and Future)

The Justice Service Delivery Project (JSDP) II is an $85.5 million, 5-year investment operation funded by the ARTF. JSDP will assist the Government in the implementation of the National Priority Program (NPP) in the justice sector, the ‘National Program for Law and Justice for All’. The project supports the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General's Office in balancing the demand for and supply of core legal services, and in increasing the productivity of legal service providers. The project aims to encourage specialization and close collaboration between various service providers; to align the structures, processes and capacity of justice institutions to the needs of users; and to improve access to legal information for legal professionals, justice institutions and the public. The project builds on and expands reforms which were supported by the $27.75 million, Phase I Justice Sector Reform Project which closed on December 31, 2011.

see website of ARTF