Belize launches the PACE Justice Project to reduce case backlog in the criminal justice system

Belize has launched the Partnership of the Caribbean and the European Union on Justice (PACE Justice) Project, making it one of eight Caribbean countries to receive much-needed support in its efforts towards reducing the high number of criminal case backlogs.

With funding support from the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Belize in collaboration with the Judiciary of Belize, the Ministry of Human Development, Families, and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, and the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Strategies launched the PACE Justice Project which will help Belize to integrate innovative interventions to strengthen the country’s capacity to manage criminal cases and address the causes of backlog.  

The other Caribbean countries under the PACE Justice project are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago.

As part of the Senior Court's Strategic Plan and in keeping with the Needham Point's Declaration: “The Belize Judiciary has commenced comprehensive judicial reforms including the utilization of modern technological tools and digitization strategies to reduce the backlogs and improve the delivery of justice in Belize which coincides with the launch of this valuable and timely PACE Justice Project,” said Chief Justice, Hon. Mde. Louise Esther Blenman. 

“We are delighted to be one of the implementing beneficiaries of this significant and visionary project contributing to the modernization of the Criminal Justice Sector which will ultimately enhance access to justice and assist in providing better service to litigants and people of Belize.” 

Globally launched in October 2023, the project will work along three well-defined dimensions: 

1. Deployment of enabling technology and systems training to improve the efficiency of criminal justice administration. 
    
2. Empowerment of stakeholders through gender-aware capacity-building across all elements of the administration of justice, with a focus on service design and delivery.
    
3. Strengthening national and regional processes and procedures for improved efficiency and accountability within the justice sector.

Aligning with UNDP’s Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the UNDP Resident Representative for Belize, Mr. Kishan Khoday, also confirmed their commitment: “I am thrilled to witness Belize's commitment to accelerating action on economic diversification and transformation within its justice system and human security,” said Mr. Khoday.

“Our efforts are deeply rooted in the principles of global rule of law, justice, security, and human rights. Guided by Sustainable Development Goal 16 and aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our work echoes the call to action for human rights by the Secretary-General and embraces the humanitarian-development-peace Triple Nexus.” — Kishan Khoday

In his keynote address, the Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. John Briceño, expressed the Government’s promise as outlined in the PlanBelize to restore the independence and respect of the judicial and court system. “Today, we launch PACE – PACE is a justice project,” said Hon. Briceño.

“It is a great initiative for Belize. This is so because it fits perfectly in line with our PlanBelize Agenda. It also aligns with our Medium-Term Development Strategy. It is about helping governments to be more accountable to their people, and to create societies where people have respect and commitment to the rule of law. To build an equitable and stronger nation, we need a judicial system that enhances efficiency and accountability in the delivery of justice.”  — Hon. Briceño

The project will take a very collaborative approach by bringing together key stakeholders from the justice sector such as the Police Department, the Community Rehabilitation Department, the Director of Public Prosecutions Office (DPP), the Belize National Forensic Science Service (NFSS), and civil society organizations such as the Special Envoy for the Development of Families & Children and the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), among others. In the upcoming weeks, representatives from these various government departments and organizations will participate in working sessions to develop a work plan with initiatives and activities to be implemented. 

“This PACE Justice Programme stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation, delivering public good, public value and the continued development of our democratic societies,” said Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries. 

“It stands as a testament that progress can only be achieved when we come together – when we constructively collaborate with a shared vision of delivering a more just society for all. One where justice is not attached to your last name, nor your address but is, in rhetoric and practice, equitably available to all citizens of our country.”  — Hon. Kareem Musa

Commending the shared and collective approach, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Anthony Sylvestre, expressed his thanks to the partners for including Belize in this much-needed support. 

“Tackling the issue of backlog in the criminal justice system from a holistic, multi-sectoral approach, as has been done here, allocating and making provision for strengthening the institutional capabilities of the key stakeholders- the police, prosecutors, the courts, prisons- is the uniqueness of this project; the visionariness of the project,” said Hon. Sylvestre.

“It gives us a unique opportunity to get a lot right. For it is through the strengthening of the institutional capacity of key stakeholders that we can therefore achieve more efficiency and effectiveness in the criminal justice system thereby imbuing confidence in the system.” — Hon. Sylvestre

The EU-funded PACE Justice project aligns with another EU-supported initiative, the Europe-Latin America and Caribbean Programme of Assistance against Transnational Organized Crime (EL PAcCTO), which seeks to address the criminal chain. 

Speaking at the event, EU Ambassador to Belize Marianne Van Steen emphasized that “Safety, security and protection are something that people care about all over the world. This is why the State is expected to be a fair, transparent and just arbiter accountable to its citizens guaranteeing the rule of law, human rights for all and an independent justice system. Addressing the reform of the criminal justice system is one important piece of this bigger picture”.

With this cross-sectoral approach, Belize is expected to enhance its institutional capacities of police forces, prosecutors, lawyers, courts, and prisons to manage criminal cases effectively and efficiently and improve public confidence in the judicial system by 2027. 

Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBejFA

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This story was first published as a press release by UNDP Belize.