LSF, Enabel sign 10.7bn/- deal to enhance justice delivery

TANZANIA: THE Legal Services Facility (LSF) and Enabel, the Belgian development agency, have signed a 10.7bn/- grant agreement to implement the Improved Access to Justice for Women through Legal Aid (IMPAWLA) project.

LSF Executive Director, Lulu Ng’wanakilala said through the project LSF that will ensure high-quality legal aid services are accessible to all individuals through formal and informal justice systems, empowering the community to understand, shape and utilise the law.

She said the project also focuses at addressing gender-based violence and empower women in various areas.

“We are delighted to sign this agreement with Enabel, this represents a significant step towards improving access to justice, particularly for women, girls and marginalised communities across the country,” she said.

The Resident Representative at Enabel in Tanzania, Koenraad Goekint said the organisation was happy to collaborate with LSF to ensuring access to justice in the country,

“This partnership underscores our commitment to promoting sustainable development and fostering a society where everyone can access their rights and participate fully in the legal system.

By leveraging our collective expertise and resources, we aim to make meaningful strides towards building a more equitable and just society for all Tanzanians,” Goekint said.

EU Head of Delegation, Christine Grau stated in her remarks that through the Gender Transformative Action Programme, ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ and in particular for this initiative, the EU continues to support access to justice for women and girls through legal aid in particular for victims of genderbased violence.

“It indeed complements other efforts within the overall programme aimed also at promoting women’s economic empowerment and increasing their leadership and representation in decision-making positions,” she noted.

She added that the initiative strives to ensure that justice is within reach for all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

The period for the implementation on the signed agreement is 26 months.

The project is funded by European Union (EU) under its flagship initiative called ‘Gender Transformative Action: Breaking the Glass Ceiling.’

Under this new grant agreement, LSF and Enabel will collaborate to implement a comprehensive legal aid programme for women and marginalised groups.

The programme is set to take a holistic approach by focusing on improving the provision of quality legal aid for women, fostering legal empowerment and promoting a conducive environment for access to justice.