Guyana’s Judiciary moves to join global Court Excellence network

…UNDP case management training to help strengthen endeavour

The Judiciary of Guyana is currently working on joining the membership of the prestigious International Consortium for Court Excellence (ICCE) – a global network of courts and other organisations with expertise in court and judicial administration that are dedicated to ensuring high-quality service delivery.
“The Judiciary of Guyana has commenced the process to become a member of the International Consortium for Court Excellence,” acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Roxanne George, disclosed on Thursday morning.
The ICCE was formed by experts from the United States, Europe, Australia and Singapore to develop an International Framework for Court Excellence (IFCE), a quality management system designed to help courts consistently improve their performance in seven core areas. These include court management and leadership, court policies, court proceedings, public trust and confidence, user satisfaction, court resources and affordable and accessible court services.
In order to be accepted into the ICCE, organisations must demonstrate a commitment to excellence using the IFCE. The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was accepted into the ICCE back in 2022 and, at the time, was the first court in the region to become a member of the Consortium.
Justice George made the announcement of Guyana’s quest to join the ICCE while speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day case management training session being held in Georgetown. According to the Chancellor (ag), judicial education programmes such as this training programme will enhance Guyana’s bid to be accepted into the ICCE.

Judicial officers, including Justices of Appeal, High Court judges, Commissioners of Title, the Registrar, Deputy Registrar, magistrates and judicial research assistants, were all in attendance at the case management training hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the European Union (EU).
The two-day training session, which commenced on Thursday, falls under the Partnership of the Caribbean and the European Union on Justice (PACE Justice) Programme – a regional initiative aimed at reducing the backlog of criminal cases by strengthening the institutional capacities of prosecutors, courts, police, and prisons through technology and training.
The Chancellor pointed out that the Judiciary of Guyana, especially the High Court, has been employing case management practices in criminal cases. This, she added, was done in a more concerted manner after the enactment of the Sexual Offences Act in 2010, which embeds case management in its framework.
Additionally, Justice George noted that case management practices became a critical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and have also been included in the criminal procedure rules.
“This training will therefore further enhance our capacity and capability to better address our caseloads so as to ensure that indeed, justice delayed is not justice denied. It complements other training that we all had this year on judgement writing and treating a case as a project so that it can be efficiently completed,” the acting Chancellor posited.
She went on to say, “This training also dovetails with our strategic plan, which emphasises continuing judicial education and the implementation of performance standards so as to ensure an effective and efficient judicial system.”
Also delivering remarks during Thursday’s opening ceremony for the training session was UNDP Country Representative in Guyana, Katy Thompson, who explained that investments made through Information Technology (IT), infrastructure and skills training are geared towards building an efficient system to deliver fair justice to citizens.
Under this UNDP-administered programme, some $73 million worth of IT equipment has been distributed to various stakeholders, including the Guyanese Police Force (GPF), Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as catering for the training of judicial officers.
“We’re there to assist you on this journey, and of course we want to continue to make sure this project really is impactful and we see concrete changes in the efficiency with which you can do your work. So, we wanted to make sure that that is well communicated, of course, and that the public are aware of those efforts and the efforts that you’re putting in,” Thompson stressed.

Tangible difference
Meanwhile, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation Office in Guyana, Joan Sastre, related that the two-day training session will make a tangible difference in how justice is delivered locally.
He noted that the PACE project is a prime example of how collaboration can strengthen institutions, build capacity, and ultimately deliver more efficient and fair justice to citizens across the Caribbean.
“We are trying to contribute to making these institutions stronger. And this training on case management speaks directly to one of the greatest challenges faced by the judiciary worldwide: ensuring timely, transparent, and effective handling of cases. Only through this will the general public still be confident and will trust the judiciary system,” he stated.
According to the EU Delegation official, “By introducing best practices and tools, and by empowering our legal professionals with knowledge and skills, we move closer to a justice system that inspires public trust and confidence. Guyana’s participation in this regional initiative underscores your commitment not only to national reform but also to sharing experiences with your Caribbean partners so that together you may advance justice as a pillar of democratic governance, human rights, and sustainable development.”
With a budget of 10 million euro, PACE Justice is the EU’s flagship project for criminal justice reform in non-Caribbean countries, including Guyana, with the primary objective of assisting local partners in reducing criminal case backlogs through innovative approaches, including restorative justice and criminal mediation.