The Van Vollenhoven Institute's Access to Justice in Indonesia project studied how poor and disadvantaged Indonesians address the injustices they face in daily life and how their situation can be improved.

For this purpose VVI developed an analytical framework, elaborated in conceptual studies on rule of law, legal pluralism and legal aid. On the basis of this analytical framework case studies were conducted in various regions in Indonesia focusing on themes of gender, land, labor and environmental issues. VVI has also conducted a review study of UNDP and World Bank reports.

These activities did not only result in reports and academic papers, but also translated into policy advice for the Indonesian government.  To this end the VVI, together with the National Planning Agency Bappenas, organised so-called policy-dialogues that bring together the most important stakeholders. 

The Access to Justice project was part of a collaboration between VVI, the United National Development Programme (UNDP's Legal Empowerment and Assistance for the Disadvantaged (LEAD)), the World Bank (Justice for the Poor) and the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas's National Access to Justice Strategy). Their joint programme Building Demand for Legal and Judicial Reform 2007- 2010: Strenghtening Access to Justice started in 2008. Its key objective was to assist the Government of Indonesia in implementing the National Access to Justice Strategy that aimed at strengthening Indonesia as a negara hukum ('state under the rule of law').

The Building Demand for Legal and Judicial Reform Programme was funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Indonesia.

• access to justice
• customary law
• development
• environmental law
• family law
• gender
• indonesia_
• labour
• land
• legal identity
• rule of law