The President of the Jonglei State High Court, John Yel Aleu, has praised UNDP for its continued commitment to strengthening the rule of law and promoting human rights in the state.
The commendation followed a donation on Thursday in Bor, which included essential logistical materials such as record books, file folders, raincoats, and gumboots aimed at improving the court’s operational efficiency.
Justice Yel expressed gratitude for the support, noting the critical need for the record materials to maintain comprehensive and accurate court records.
“Court records are not for temporary use like two or 10 days; they are to be kept for generations. We need a strong recording system so that future generations can refer to the records. We are grateful, and with this support, our work will be stable,” said Aleu.
He acknowledged previous support from UNDP, including the provision of two vehicles for inmate transport and office operations. He urged other well-wishers to help renovate the Jonglei High Court offices, which were damaged during the 2013 crisis.
“I appeal to well-wishers and other partners to continue supporting us, especially with the renovation of our offices in the Tibek area, which were damaged during the 2013 crisis. We are grateful to UNDP; they have done their part, and I hope other partners and well-wishers can do theirs,” he added.
Peruth Karungi, a Security Specialist with UNDP in Jonglei State, stated that the donation is part of the UNDP’s Access to Justice, Security, and Human Rights Strengthening Programme, funded by the Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience Trust Fund’s “Community Violence Reduction Project Phase 2”. This programme aims at enhancing linkages and capacities of justice and security institutions to provide accountable, effective, and inclusive and equitable services to address gender disparities and reduce violence.
“We have managed to support the High Court with 3,000 file folders of different categories —civil and criminal matters. Realizing that the management of court records being a challenge for the Jonglei State Judiciary, with issues such as missing or misplaced files, incomplete records, and poor physical file conditions there has been a delay in dispensation of justice contributing to a backlog of cases and in some cases escalating disputes between parties seeking justice. With these file folders, we know that matters will be properly classified making it easier to track cases leading to timely administration of justice” said Karungi.
Karungi highlighted that the management of court records had been a persistent challenge for the Jonglei Judiciary, with issues such as missing or misplaced files, incomplete records, and poor physical file conditions.