IGF 2022 WS #444 Open Justice Data for Enhancing Access to Human Rights

Organizer 1: Alvaro Herrero, International Open Justice Network
Organizer 2: Ines Selvood, International Open Justice Network
Organizer 3: Andrea Castillo, International Open Justice Network

Speaker 1: Alvaro Herrero, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Natalia Carfi, Civil Society, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: Laurence Pantin, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Gloria Manzotti, Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Ana Carolina Benelli, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

Moderator

Ines Selvood, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

Online Moderator

Andrea Castillo, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

Rapporteur

Andrea Castillo, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

Format

Round Table - Circle - 60 Min

Policy Question(s)

What are the obstacles and opportunities for advancing open data-driven policies that enhance access to human rights in Latin America’s justice sector institutions?
What are the existing technological and institutional capabilities of judicial institutions to promote open data policies?
What steps should be taken to foster the use of open justice data to design evidence-based policies in the justice sector?

Connection with previous Messages:

SDGs

5.2
9.1
16.3
16.6


Targets: The panel will explore the connections between open justice data and human rights. In particular, it will focus the potential impact of open justice data to improve policies such as gender violence, environment, access to public information, and police abuses. Those four policies are strongly connected to SDGs. In general, Open Justice can enable the accomplishment of various targets across all SDGs, although its relation with SDG 16 might be the strongest among all. The purpose of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development is embedded in providing access to justice, which can be reached by open justice public policies.
Specifically, the reduction of gender violence is one of the targets of SDG 5. The right to a clean, diverse environment is also covered by SDGs 7, 13 and 15. Access to public information and transparency are key indicators in SDG 16.

Throughout discussions, we will link specific discussions to relevant SDGs. At the end of the panel, the rapporteur will include a specific section on findings related to SDGs and proposed interventions to deepen the connection between discussions and the 2030 Agenda.

Description:

Access to justice presents numerous difficulties that are aggravated by the lack of public policies that strengthen transparency, accountability and citizens' participation in the judiciary. In order to address this problem, RIJA will host a session on Open Justice that will engage both members of judiciaries and the open data community to discuss the challenges and opportunities for using open data to improve access to rights in Latin America.

Growing use of open data in justice sector institutions has usually been a consequence of the implementation of transparency policies. However, such policies tend to overlook the potential of using open data to enhance access to justice, increase rights’ enforceability, improve the judiciary’s public policy quality through data-driven projects, and promote innovation and employment through new businesses or ventures based on judicial open data. The session will focus on the connection between open data and access to rights, for example in the context of policies aimed at (i) preventing and/or reducing gender violence, (ii) reducing abuse by security forces (excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, etc), (iii) enhancing access to environmental rights, and (iv) empowering citizens to make use of public information, and through them, propose new solutions to public issues.

The panel will bring multiple perspectives from the justice sector, the open data community, and public policy decision-makers to debate regulatory, policy and technological challenges.

Expected Outcomes

The main expected outcome is the identification of a concrete, action-oriented agenda that could be used by the International Open Justice Network to inform and guide its open data working group. In addition, it is expected that a follow-up workshop on open justice data be held with the Nation Justice Council of Brazil and the Judicial Council of Buenos Aires city.

Hybrid Format: The session will be divided into three parts to provide an interactive and thought-provoking experience. In the first part, we will use polls and chat boxes to find out participants' profiles and lead the conversation so they can feel included. Followed by a dynamic presentation from the panelists, discussing, in this second part, the proposed questions from the perspectives of the regions and different countries they represent.
In the third part, the floor will be opened to the audience. Individuals will be able to bring forward their perceptions regarding open justice and its relation to improve public policies, to prevent gender violence and to promote access rights to justice and the environment.
Throughout the whole session, the participants are invited to fill a mural with different perceptions of open justice from different parts of Latin America. The moderator and the rapporteur will be in charge of cataloging the perceptions and insights noted starting with the 4 speakers, then followed by the perceptions given by the other participants. In the end we will have a broad picture of the opportunities and hurdles of Open Justice in Latin America and obtain also the perspective from participants from all over the globe.
The learnings on this session will be collected through collective brainstorming tools, such as Miro and Jamboard, so all the insights can be registered and applied to set standards and contribute to the judiciary programs in Latin America, such as Digital Platform of the Brazilian Judiciary held by the National Justice Council (CNJ) and the open data program runned by the Judicial Council of Buenos Aires city.

Online Participation



Usage of IGF Official Tool.