The UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Lawyers and Judges 2023 thematic report to the UN General Assembly examined legal empowerment and other people-centered methods for achieving access to justice. As part of the consultative process leading up to the report, the Special Rapporteur solicited input from stakeholders on the shortcomings of existing judicial and other legal systems and the contribution of legal empowerment approaches to efforts to achieve access to justice.

Just Ground, in collaboration with EarthRights International, took this opportunity to: 1) summarize shortcomings of existing judicial and non-judicial systems in providing access to remedy when corporations have committed human rights abuses; and 2) offer community-driven operational grievance mechanisms (CD-OGMs) as an example of a legal empowerment modality that could address some of those challenges.

The full submission can be accessed here.

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