The World Justice Project (WJP) is an international civil society organization whose stated mission is to “promote the rule of law worldwide”. [1] The World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index® is a quantitative assessment tool developed by the World Justice Project to provide a detailed and comprehensive picture of countries` respect for the rule of law in practice. The World Justice Project is supported by people representing a range of disciplines around the world. The Honorary Presidents of the World Justice Project are: The World Justice Challenge is an open competition that aims to develop practical programmes on the ground that promote the rule of law. [11] The selected programmes are supported by: The 20 countries with the top 20 rule of law countries according to the WJP in 2021 are:[10] Since 2009, the WJP has documented rule of law trends in its annual WJP Rule of Law Index®, which expanded to 139 countries and jurisdictions this year. The index draws on survey responses from more than 138,000 households and 4,200 experts to measure how the rule of law is experienced and perceived in practical and everyday situations. The index includes rule of law factors such as restrictions on government power, fundamental rights, corruption, discrimination, security, and the functioning of regulatory, criminal justice and civil justice systems. This quantitative tool provides citizens, governments, policymakers, donors, businesses, media, academics and civil society organizations around the world with a comprehensive comparative analysis of countries` adherence to the universal rule of law. The World Justice Project defines the rule of law system as one in which the following four universal principles are respected: The World Justice Forum is the world`s largest multidisciplinary platform dedicated to promoting the rule of law. It is a global meeting where eminent leaders from all regions of the world and various disciplines come together to explain how the rule of law affects their disciplines and regions, and to develop joint actions to strengthen the rule of law. [12] The World Justice Project`s Rule of Law Index is a quantitative assessment tool designed to provide a detailed and comprehensive picture of countries` respect for the rule of law in practice.

The index provides data on eight dimensions of the rule of law: limited governmental powers; absence of corruption; order and security; civil rights; Open Government; enforcement; Civil justice; and criminal justice. These factors are then broken down into forty-four indicators. Together, they provide a comprehensive picture of respect for the rule of law. [6] The index is generally published annually. [7] Index rankings and scores are based on more than 400 variables from two new data sources: (i) a General Population Survey (GPP) designed by the WJP and conducted by leading local pollsters using a probability sample of 1,000 respondents in the three largest cities in each country; and (ii) a Qualified Respondent Questionnaire (QRQ) completed by national experts in civil and commercial law, criminal law, labour law and public health. To date, more than 97,000 individuals and 2,500 experts in 99 countries and jurisdictions have been interviewed. [8] Respect for the rule of law is assessed on the basis of 47 indicators grouped around eight themes: limitation of governmental powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, law enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice. In addition to country ratings and rankings, the index also includes key global scores, as well as analysis of regional strengths, rule of law challenges, best and worst outcomes, and observed trends.

[9] The WJP operates through three programs: Research and Science, WJP Rule of Law Index, and Engagement. The WJP aims to raise public awareness of the fundamental importance of the rule of law, stimulate government reform and develop practical programmes at the community level. The World Justice Project convened a small working group of Tunisian business, government and civil society leaders in Tunis, Tunisia, on 28 May 2012 to assess the rule of law opportunities and challenges facing Tunisia during the ongoing reform process. The WJP worked closely with the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), the Arab Centre for Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI) and the Hague Institute for the Internationalization of Law (HiiL) in the planning and implementation of the workshop in Tunisia. It prepared a detailed report on the rule of law situation in Tunisia based on data from its Rule of Law Index. [13] The WJP also plans to organize additional workshops for countries in transition in the future. [12] The WJP supports multidisciplinary workshops aimed at strengthening the rule of law in the United States. State and local bar associations, law schools and other local leaders sponsor multidisciplinary sensitization meetings at the state level to form multidisciplinary partnerships to strengthen the rule of law at the national and local levels. Participants in these meetings included business and community leaders, educators, health professionals, judges, lawyers, government officials and religious leaders.

[12] Please note that prior to 2015, values are not strictly comparable across iteration of the index. There are two main reasons for this. First, countries are evaluated in relation to the other countries in the sample. Ninety-seven (97) countries/jurisdictions were included in the 2012-2013 dataset. Ninety-nine (99) countries/jurisdictions were included in 2014. One hundred and two (102) countries/jurisdictions were included in 2015. One hundred and thirteen (113) countries/jurisdictions were included in 2016 and 2017-2018. One hundred and twenty-six (126) countries/jurisdictions are included in 2019. One hundred and twenty-eight (128) countries/jurisdictions are included in 2020. One hundred and thirty-nine (139) countries/jurisdictions are included in 2021. Second, the construction of the underlying indicators and survey tools has been slightly revised with the publication of each report during these years. For these reasons, we ask all users to exercise caution when comparing results over time, although it can be noted that the WJP`s indicator construction and survey tools have remained relatively stable since 2015, allowing comparisons from 2015 to 2021 to be made with greater certainty.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated long-standing structural inequalities and governance weaknesses. On 14 October, we released the 2021 Rule of Law Index®️ from the World Justice Project (WJP), the world`s leading source of original rule of law data. The 2021 Index is the first in this annual series to track changes in the rule of law during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The World Justice Project supports research that examines the contribution of the rule of law to aspects of economic, political and social development. The fellowship programme pursues a research programme that examines the effectiveness of the rule of law in the spheres of social life, the interdependencies between the institutional components of the rule of law and the causal mechanisms through which the rule of law influences economic and political life. [5] Since its inception in 2006, the WJP has helped provide people around the world with a better understanding of the rule of law and thus greater opportunities in almost every area of their lives – from education to health care and property rights to the fair and peaceful resolution of disputes. The WJP`s engagement initiatives aim to make the promotion of the rule of law as fundamental to the thinking and work of other professionals as it is to lawyers and judges. The Board of Directors of the World Justice Project includes: Since 2007, the WJP has organized four Global Justice Forums.

The first Global Forum on Justice was held in Vienna from 2 to 5 July 2008.