Project Snapshot

Total Funding:  $9.4 million
Start Date:  September 2014
End Date:  September 2019
Implementing Partner:  Millennium DPI Partners

The Challenge

Despite progress made in reforming the justice sector, rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) remains weak. Shortcomings in the independence, efficiency and effectiveness of justice sector institutions persist along with corruption and other threats to justice. Chief prosecutors have no merit-based system for staff appraisals, and failure to perform the duties of one’s job carries few consequences. Citizens are concerned and frustrated by the lack of transparency, impartiality and efficiency within the judiciary and prosecutorial services. Survey data consistently rate corruption as one of the top three concerns for BiH citizens, while public confidence in the government’s ability – or will – to combat corruption continues to decline.

Our Program 

The USAID Justice Project assists prosecutors, judges and other justice sector actors to be more functional, accountable and responsive to the needs of BiH citizens. The project’s two main goals are to improve the performance, employment status, and authority of prosecutors, and to strengthen the public integrity of judicial institutions and their overall ability to combat corruption. 

Implementation and Results 

Through this project, USAID partners with all 19 prosecutors’ offices to help them do their job – to prosecute cases of corruption and organized crime – efficiently and effectively. The project introduces new management systems for conducting performance appraisals, giving merit-based promotions, and providing incentives and rewards for successfully prosecuting cases. The project provides prosecutors with technical assistance and mentoring to help them operate efficiently. 

To strengthen the ability of justice sector institutions to uphold public integrity, the project provides mentoring, training, legislative reform support, and other technical assistance to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and other key stakeholders in areas such as ethics, discipline, conflict of interest, judicial asset declaration, and judicial integrity as a whole. The project also works with HJPC, prosecutors’ offices and courts, judicial and prosecutorial training centers to improve the capacity of justice sector institutions to investigate and prosecute high-profile corruption and economic crime cases, free from political and other improper influence. This will all be achieved by facilitating cooperation among state, entity and local justice sector actors.