Focal point
Location
IDLO is the only intergovernmental organization exclusively devoted to promoting the rule of law. Governments, multilateral organizations, private foundations and the private sector support our work. We are headquartered in Rome, where we were first founded, and where we continue to enjoy strong support from the Italian government. We are present in The Hague, a city whose hospitality connects us with an unrivaled legal tradition. And we are represented at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, where we help shape the debate about human rights and development.
OUR VISION IS A WORLD WHERE EVERY PERSON LIVES IN DIGNITY AND UNDER THE RULE OF LAW.
We enable countries to design, reform and strengthen those laws and institutions most apt to deliver justice, dignity and economic opportunity. We do not champion law for law’s sake: if we promote well-functioning courts, we also strive to make them accessible. For us, helping draft a national Constitution means giving a voice to the rural widow. The same emphasis on the end-user informs IDLO’s record on commercial law, intellectual property law, environmental law, and every other area of law, national or international.
IDLO HAS:
- Experience working in dozens of countries
- Expertise in institution building and legal empowerment
- A network of 2,500 experts and 47 independent alumni associations
- Knowledge of diverse legal systems
- Extensive research on rights and justice
IDLO IS:
- The only intergovernmental organization exclusively devoted to promoting the rule of law
- An international thought leader
IDLO WAS:
- Established as an intergovernmental organization in 1988
- Granted United Nations Observer status in 2001
Members:
Resources
Displaying 1 - 5 of 21Legal frameworks enabling sustainable land-use investment in Mozambique
Mozambique is experiencing increased privatesector investment, to assist in meeting the country’s its development objectives. The government has intensified efforts to attract foreign direct investment, to improve Mozambique’s socioeconomic status and alleviate poverty. However, adequate legal frameworks are necessary to align investments with national priorities and to ensure compliance with environmental and social safeguards.
COAL VERSUS COMMUNITIES: Exposing poor practices by Vale and Rio Tinto in Mozambique
Mozambique has attracted two of the world’s largest mining companies – Brazil’s Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (Vale) and the Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tinto – to extract coal from the huge fields in Tete province. In 2010, Vale and Rio Tinto were the second and third most valuable mining companies on earth – worth US$169 and US$83 billion respectively.
Enhancing Legal Empowerment and Customary Law in Rwanda: Report of a Pilot Project concerning Community-level Dispute Resolution and Women’s Land Rights
We present a report on the results of a 10-month pilot project conducted in North- Western Rwanda that aimed to explore fruitful ways to engage with customary law in order to empower rural communities and rural women in particular. The focus is on the effectiveness of land dispute resolution at the community level and the respect for women’s formally guaranteed land rights by the institutions involved.
Understanding and Strengthening Women’s Land Rights Under Customary Tenure in Uganda
Includes introduction; vulnerabilities shared among all women; different categories of women have different vulnerabilities – widows, unmarried girls, divorced women, separated women, cohabiting women, married women; proposed solutions. Argues that rather than working against custom, policymakers and activists should be creative in identifying a range of culturally-appropriate solutions within custom that can successfully strengthen, defend and protect women’s land rights.