Regional
Rule of law: Rwanda maintains top spot in new index
Rwanda
has, for the third year in a row, ranked best in the region in a rule of law
index published by World Justice Project WJP, an organisation that evaluates
the adherence to rule of law principles in countries around the world.
The
assessment, whose results were released on Wednesday, October 25, is based on a
comprehensive set of factors, including government accountability, civil and
criminal justice, fundamental rights, and more.
At the
regional level, Rwanda ranked first out of 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
while at the global level, the country was 41st out of 142 countries evaluated,
followed by Namibia and Mauritius.
The
state of the rule of law worldwide remains a cause for concern, with global
declines reported for the sixth consecutive year, as per the latest findings
from the report.
This
year, 59 per cent of the surveyed countries witnessed a reduction in their rule
of law status, marking a continuous slide in the global adherence to this
fundamental principle.
However,
the report shows that Rwanda registered an increase in its score, an
accomplishment that places the nation in the top tier of countries experiencing
an upward trend in the rule of law. This progress is particularly commendable
considering that, since 2016, the rule of law has decreased in 78 per cent of
the countries examined.
A
closer examination of the data reveals that one of the most affected aspects of
the rule of law is “Fundamental Rights,” which has seen a decline in 77 per
cent of the countries studied during this period. Constraints on Government
Powers have also dwindled in 74 per cent of countries over the past seven
years, reflecting a global trend of executive overreach.
It
underscores the fact that legislatures, judiciaries, civil society, and media
have faced challenges in their roles of checking executive power globally.
The
Index points out that declines in the functioning of justice systems are
expanding. In Rwanda and globally, Index scores for Civil Justice fell in
two-thirds of the countries (66 per cent) this year, up from 61 per cent last
year. This decline can be attributed to increased justice delays and weaker
enforcement. Furthermore, scores for Criminal Justice also saw a slight
decrease in more countries this year (56 per cent) than last year (55 per
cent).
WJP’s
co-founder and president, William H. Neukom, commented on the overall scenario,
saying, “The world remains gripped by a rule of law recession characterised by
executive overreach, curtailing of human rights, and justice systems that are
failing to meet people’s needs. People around the world are paying the price.”
Within
Sub-Saharan Africa, it is worth mentioning that over the last year, 20 out of
34 countries saw a decline, with 10 of them experiencing similar declines in
the preceding year. Notably, the top performers in the region include Rwanda
(41st globally), Namibia, and Mauritius, while the lowest scores are attributed
to Mauritania, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (138th
globally).
On a
global scale, Denmark emerges as the top-ranked country in the 2023 WJP Rule of
Law Index, followed closely by Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany.
In contrast, Venezuela holds the unenviable position of having the lowest score, with Cambodia, Afghanistan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo following suit.