On May 29, 2009, EWMI completed implementation of a five-year USAID-funded Justice Sector Development Project (JSDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). JSDP’s overall goal was to improve the efficiency and fairness of the justice system in BiH by building the capacity and sustainability of two key local institutions, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and the State Ministry of Justice (State MoJ), and improving court administration so as to develop a more just, effective and efficient system of justice. During the first half of the project, EWMI also actively promoted indigent criminal defense reform, to help Bosnian counterparts improve criminal legal aid for the poor. 

As a result of EWMI assistance, the HJPC implemented improved internal management practices and developed fair, transparent, and efficient appointment procedures. EWMI assistance also resulted in the HJPC’s development of a new quantitative system to measure judicial performance. EWMI has also been successful in increasing the capacity and stature of the State MoJ, a fledgling and understaffed ministry at the time the JSDP was launched. As a result of EWMI assistance, the State MoJ developed software to automate its workflow system and increased customer-service and transparency. EWMI’s work to improve court administration has been equally successful as its state institution-building achievements. New records management practices introduced by EWMI into the JSDP Model Courts have been adopted by the HJPC and expanded to all courts. Structural renovations to the public information and registry areas of the Model Courts have made them more accessible and efficient for the public.