INTERNATIONAL BRIDGES TO JUSTICE INC
198 Tremon Street 447, Boston, MA 02116 www.ibj.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: In recognition of the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Internatinal Bridges to Justice (IBJ) is dedicated to protecting the basic legal rights of individuals in developing countries. Specifically, IBJ works to guarantee all citizens the right to competent legal representation the right to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to a fair trial.

Sri Lanka - IBJ Lanka was able to provide free legal assistance to a total of 361 individuals, directly inform hundreds of people of their legal rights at live events, and distribute an additional 2,640 rights awareness booklets on the rights of the accused. Significantly, a number of local Bar Associations endorsed our work, with the Jaffna Bar Association agreeing to collaborate on various activities, and the President of the National Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) acting as a trainer at our second Defender Training Workshop.In addition, IBJ developed Sri Lanka's first ever Criminal Defense Practice Manual. The Manual has to date been endored by five local Bar Associations in Trincomalee, Jaffna, Mannar, Kandy, and Vavuniya. The Manual has been distributed throughout the country as a resource for lawyers, with a total of 2,100 copies printed to date in Sinhala and English. Additional copies will be printed in Tamil upon completion of translation.

Syria - IBJ's 10 newly developed eLearning modules have been officially adopted by the Aleppo Bar Association as a mandatory component of training for legal apprentices. The adoption of the eLearning Modules sets a precedent for Syria's criminal justice professionals on human rights standards and the adoption of the eLearning Modules by the Aleppo Bar Association is expected to lead to a ripple effect in the legal community of Syria where other bar associations and organizations can adapt and learn from the Modules.With the support of Syrian bar associations and Turkey-based Syrian NGOs, momentous progress has been made throughout 2019 in building the capacities of lawyers to provide effective criminal defense, and in strengthening the criminal justice infrastructure in areas of Syria affected by ongoing conflict. The first training for Syrian criminal defense lawyers was held and resulted in the initiation of a new national partnership project among the participant lawyers to establish a unified bar association in Syria. In 2019 IBJ Syria demonstrated its commitment to reinforcing the rule of law by handling some 687 cases and conducting over 1,140 legal consultations in particularly challenging circumstances. IBJ Syria continues to grow and remain resilient in the face of adversity, solidifying its presence within the country and achieving a number of key milestones.

Myanmar -IBJ's lawyers have gained a respected reputation in the criminal justice system as the frontline representation for Myanmar's indigent accused within the communities they serve, and 2019 saw IBJ Myanmar flourish. The four Justice Centers and two satellite offices established during 2017 and 2018 provided legal assistance to over 1,100 of Myanmar's most indigent detainees throughout the year. This and other key indicators reveal a significant increase in visibility and impact as our work continued. In February, IBJ signed an MoU with the United Legal Aid Board (ULAB), setting forth an ambitious agreement to provide technical support and eventually open new "Centers of Excellence" to augment the Justice Centers.IBJ Myanmar recently launched three initiatives that were designed to both ensure the sustainability of our work and strengthen the capacity of current and future justice sector stakeholders. The first was our "Train the Trainer" program which was an important step in allowing our internal and external legal training activities to be assumed by our Myanmar colleagues, attended by 35 Justice Centre staff and pro bono lawyers working alongside IBJ. Second, all senior lawyers and administrative staff participated in training and mentoring sessions focused on building administrative skills, conducting effective monitoring and evaluation, and succint financial reporting for the continuity of our work. Third, IBJ Myanmar piloted a hugely successful internship scheme for third and fourth year law students. The program ran for two months during the school vacation period and provided internships to 17 students from five universities, including Mandalay University and Taungoo University. The program offered a varied range of experiences for the upcoming lawyers, from court experience to in-house legal mentoring and conducting community awareness campaigns. Following its success the internship program is continuing in 2020, with modifications due to the pandemic restrictions.

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