Access to Justice

The Chair of the Fiji Police Force Support Project has stressed to justice stakeholders attending a three day retreat, if the need to broaden their understanding of the term “access to justice”.

The Right Honourable Chief Justice Kamal Kumar reiterated this while opening the Fiji Police Force Support Project Annual Retreat this morning at the Outrigger Resort in Sigatoka.

The FPF Support Project funded by the New Zealand Foreign Affairs & Trade Aid Programme and supported by the United Nations Development Programme is a four-year project of $9.2 million which aims to strengthen early access to justice in criminal investigations and strengthen a survivor centred approach to investigations Honourable Justice Kumar called on the participants to be aware of the changing justice landscape.

“We must not lose sight of the fact that traditional ways of carrying out investigations and dealings with an accused is in fact becoming a thing of the past”.

“We now have a society which is educated and well versed with their rights guaranteed under our Constitution and international instruments.

One thing we must know is that access to justice does not only mean access to Courts. It comes in other forms and bounds”.

Sentiments supported by the UNDP Resident Representative Levan Boudze who said bringing all stakeholders together to identify priorities for 2022 was timely.

He added the UNDP being a key justice stakeholder will continue to support the FPF Project and provide technical expertise when needed.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police Itendra Nair said, “many law enforcemennt partners have gone above and beyond to assist us and we thank the New Zealand Government and stakeholder representatives present for being here to help us with this project”.

New Zealand High Commission’s Second Secretary Courtney Rose said her Government is proud of the work achieved despite the challenges brought on by the global pandemic.

“We are proud that the project has been flexible and we have been able to pivot in ways of supporting the Fiji Police Force particularly over the last year”.

“New Zealand has a long standing security and justice partnership with Fiji and this project is just one aspect we are proud to have in supporting the Fiji Police Force increase access to justice”.

The FPF Support Project aims to strengthen transparency, accountability of the FPF's early access to justice initiatives in criminal proceedings and strengthen a survivor-centred approach to investigations.