The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020 declared the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic. The deleterious effects of COVID-19 have permeated virtually every facet of global society. The justice sector the world over has not been spared.
On April 24, 2020, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) hosted a meeting under the theme, ‘Immediate Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” for the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) and the Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT) Justice Projects.
During that meeting, it was suggested that a regional forum be convened with justice sector stakeholders to discuss and assess the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the justice sector within the region.
In support of that suggestion, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) together with the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO), collaborated with the CCJ Academy for Law (CAFL), the JURIST Project, and APEX )Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions) to convene an online forum. It was decided that the need to engage in such a regional situational analysis and dialogue with justice sector stakeholders, all with a view to ascertaining best practices and settling concrete interventions going forward, was an urgent priority.
Accordingly, the forum was convened on Thursday, May 7, 2020 using the Zoom platform. The theme for the online forum was Adapting to the COVID-19 Reality: A Roadmap for Caribbean judiciaries.
