Japan to spend $9m on Afghan justice system

KABUL): Japan would spend $9million on capacity building of justice departments in three Afghan provinces over the next three years, officials said on Tuesday.

An agreement to the effect was signed among acting Justice Minister Syed Yousuf Halim, UNODC Deputy Representative Ashita Mittal and Chargé d’Affaires at Japanese Embassy Seiji Okada.

Mittal said the money would be spent on conducting training workshops to strengthen the criminal justice system, setting up training centres for judges and prosecutors and arranging literacy course for prisoners in Herat, Balkh and Bamyan provinces.

The programme was being implemented in the provinces with satisfactory security and good governance, she said, adding an improved justice system would solve people’s problems.

“A strong justice system can facilitate the maintenance of law and order and serve as a peaceful mechanism for resolving disputes, while preventing impunity for crimes committed during, as well as after, a conflict,” Mittal remarked.

Seiji Okada acknowledged that human rights and security were inseparable from justice. “Japan has made this first step of assistance in the Rule of Law sector, believing that this project will improve access to justice at district level in the three provinces.”

According the Japanese embassy, the country has so for spent nearly $2billion in Afghanistan over the past 10 years. Japan announced in 2009 $5billion assistance to Afghanistan over the next five years.

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