Justice for All and the Public Health Emergency

As the world struggles to get a grip on the pandemic and make sense of the new social, economic and political reality that we are suddenly in, the justice workforce finds itself on the frontline.

Governments are taking unprecedented emergency measures that place far-reaching restrictions on people’s everyday lives. Justice leaders are being asked to take on daunting responsibilities for the implementation of these measures.

People-centered justice approaches are needed more than ever and will help societies manage the institutional, social, and economic fallout from the pandemic.

The justice team at Pathfinders, together with over 50 partners from around the world, developed a first briefing on Justice in a Pandemic, with a specific focus on Justice for All in the Public Health Emergency.

The briefing includes a call to action from three eminent global justice leaders, Hina Jilani, Willy Mutunga and Jeroen Ouwehand: “We call on everyone working for justice — globally, nationally, locally; in government, civil society, community organizations or the private sector — to pull together to resolve the justice problems the pandemic is creating, to prevent injustices from occurring, and to use justice as a platform for people to play the fullest possible role in their economies and societies.”