Online Roundtable on Access to Justice in the Context of COVID-19 (September 2020)

On August 31, 2020, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) held a Southern African online roundtable on access to justice in the context of COVID-19, through its Advancing Rights in Southern Africa (ARISA) Program. Geared towards ABA ROLI’s regional partners, most of whom work in civil society, the roundtable discussed the current challenges faced by legal practitioners. These challenges include navigating the COVID- 19 lockdowns, and ensuring clients continue to access justice during the pandemic— despite changing court rules, and operating procedures. 
Since 2018, ABA ROLI has been an active member of this four-member consortium designed to promote human rights in Southern Africa. The five-year project aims to work in nine Southern African countries: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia. The consortium’s four thematic areas include: women’s customary land rights, indigenous peoples’ rights, media freedoms and digital rights, and the protection of human rights defenders. In conjunction with the launch of the consortium, ABA ROLI supported two regional workshops. Both focused on strategic litigation for women’s customary land rights and indigenous peoples’ rights, as well as advocacy on cybersecurity legislation.
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