Global Protection Cluster

Legal Aid in Humanitarian Settings
The Issue

Populations affected by humanitarian crises often lack or have very limited access to justice due to the collapse or malfunctioning of institutions and infrastructure following armed conflict, disasters or pandemics. Displaced persons face a number of challenges ranging from discriminatory social and cultural norms and practices, inadequate national laws, malpractice and abuse in the justice system and public administration, and lack of political will of authorities to act. Without legal support, IDPs in particular risk being denied a wide range of rights, including the right to employment, education and housing, access to health and other social services, property restitution, and challenges to access legal advice. Yet, while legal aid is a vital means to access justice, it does not always receive the attention it deserves as a fundamental field of humanitarian work.

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The Project

The Global Protection Cluster’s Task Team on Law and Policy (TTLP) current strategy (2021-2024) focuses on promoting and supporting the implementation of relevant legal and policy frameworks to improve affected people’s access to justice and enjoyment of their rights. The project “Legal Aid in Humanitarian Settings” aims to improve the capacities of field protection clusters, AoRs, their members and partners, to better understand and assess the legal aid needs in their countries of operation, address existing gaps and promote relevant legal aid intervention, and develop necessary knowledge products and tools to address legal aid needs collectively.

 

Project deliverables include: 

● Project Concept Note

● Virtual Library on Legal Aid in Humanitarian Settings

● Legal Aid Survey on Key Aspects of Legal Aid in Humanitarian Settings

● Legal Aid Analysis Tools (available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic) 

  • Conceptual Framework, 
  • Legal Aid Analysis Framework 
  • Guidance Note