Why be the resistance, when you can be the PERSISTENCE!
Interest of Justice is a unique international organization and civil society partnership with government. We advocate dissident public diplomacy and the rebuilding of trust between governments and the people they serve..
We advocate for the inclusion of scientific dissenters to be included at the intersection of science and policy. The right to participate in science is a cultural right all States have an obligation to uphold. Agenda 2030 and all International Agreements are not valid without the active participation of ALL relevant and interested stakeholders involved in the design, approval and implementation of all policies, norms and laws which affect the people, their dignity and substantive rights.
We believe many internationally binding decisions, including the SDG’s were made in the complete absence of scientific debate due to UN globally censorship schemes and that many globally significant decisions, especially emergency protocols are therefore void and must be rethought, redone, revised and begin again with a wider range of scientific input, including from the greater scientific community.
Interest of Justice (IOJ) has a mission to ensure scientific integrity, human rights, research standards & ethics
We call upon Member States to invoke stricter human rights protections and to prioritize science integrity in UN procurement. Without truly independent citizen and dissenter “misfit” science at the intersection of science and policy the ideology of “peace, justice and strong institutions” is illusory and unattainable! PARTICIPATION AND OPEN GOVERNMENT IS THE KEY TO TRUST & JUSTICE!
Justice
Advance people-centered justice reforms.
Actions and reforms that fit within the scope of this challenge area are:
- Embed or institutionalize mechanisms for participatory and inclusive approaches to justice policy and service design, for the purpose of ensuring that everyone has appropriate access to legal services
- Strengthen the independence, transparency and responsiveness of justice institutions to the public.
- Ensure that there is accountability for policymaking through appropriate and effective redress mechanisms and institutions that involve the public (e.g. whistleblower protections, right to information appeals, complaint mechanisms.)
Public Participation
Mainstream or embed fit-for-purpose, high quality and inclusive public participation practices across key government sectors, processes, and institutions.
Actions and reforms that fit within the scope of this challenge area are:
- Passing and implementing laws and policies that create the expectation and/or possibility of a higher level of public participation across the policy-making process (e.g. establishing legally enforceable participation requirements or new mechanisms for participation.)
- Creating participation teams or institutionalizing mechanisms that are responsible for improving public participation in general or within specific sectoral reforms.
Access to Information
Improve effectiveness of access to information legal frameworks.
Actions and reforms that fit within the scope of this challenge area are:
- Introduction of access to information legal frameworks or amendments that significantly improve existing ones.
- Reforms that increase access to information oversight authorities’ independence, capacity, and integrity.
- Activities that substantially improve the implementation and enforcement of freedom of / access to information legal frameworks.
- Improving agency by agency access to information performance reporting and data (including requests, affirmative responses, response times, use of exemptions, appeals, and outcomes of appeals).
Anti-Corruption
Develop, strengthen, and/or implement a whole-of-government anti-corruption legislation, strategy or roadmap.
Actions and reforms that fit within the scope of this challenge should include at least one of the following areas:
- Beneficial ownership
- Open contracting
- Political finance and asset and interest disclosure
- Lobbying
- Integrity systems at local level
- Extractive industry transparency
Through this challenge, governments can improve policy, implementation and interoperability (including through OGP) across the areas above.
Digital Governance
Strengthen transparency and public oversight of AI, automated-decision making, and data protection frameworks.
Actions and reforms that fit within the scope of this challenge area are:
- Making underlying data publicly available (e.g. through transparency registers for algorithms).
- Embedding human rights impact assessments.
- Creating public grievance mechanisms.
- Creating or strengthening independent oversight agencies.
- Creating specific public participation opportunities.
- Creating specific mechanisms to promote digital inclusion on AI, automated-decision making, and data protection frameworks and prevent online discrimination and disinformation based on their use.
- Reforms that protect personal data and privacy frameworks through establishing transparency, accountability, and consent mechanisms and requirements.
Fiscal Openness
Advance public oversight and inclusion reforms across the budget and spending cycle.
Actions and reforms that fit within the scope of this challenge area (i.e. budgeting, revenue, spending and auditing) are:
- Strengthen the role of the legislature, and other relevant institutions, in approving, monitoring, reviewing and publishing the budget, fiscal and debt related data and reports, from an open government perspective.
- Reforms or activities that empower independent fiscal oversight institutions (SAI’s) and Ombudsman offices to enforce transparency and accountability measures throughout the budget cycle.
- Promoting participatory mechanisms, targeting underrepresented groups, to inform spending priorities.
- Combining online and offline tools to promote participation across the budget and spending cycle
Civic Space
Strengthen enabling environment and spaces for civil society and civic action
Actions and reforms that fit within the scope of this challenge area are:
- Adopting, improving and/or implementing laws on civic space (especially non-profit laws) that are impartial and minimally restrictive on the operations of independent organizations.
- Programs to train and support national and/or subnational authorities in respecting and protecting the right to freely assemble in an unbiased and minimally restrictive manner.
- Reforms related to improving freedom of expression, such as protection of human rights defenders and other activists.
- Protection of freedom of association at both national and local level.
- Development of a civic space strategy or action plan, or promoting the use of Human Rights Impact Assessments, to comprehensively address issues restricting civic space.
Media Freedom
Develop or reinforce legal frameworks that protect the rights of journalists and independent media.
Actions and reforms that fit within the scope of this challenge area are:
- Remove criminal defamation, libel, and other penalties for reporting and tackling the use of SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) to silence journalists and activists.
- Create supportive environments for revenue generation and mechanisms that allow for independent and public-funded media platforms and avoid the concentration of media ownership at national and/or local level
- Reforms related to reviewing or passing new media laws aligned with open government principles.
