Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the World Justice Project (WJP) continues its mission to strengthen the rule of law globally. Since 2009, it has documented the impact of legal frameworks on justice, opportunity, and peace while spearheading policy reforms and research initiatives to address the ongoing decline in the rule of law worldwide.
The 2024 WJP Rule of Law Index, released in October, highlights that 6.3 billion people live in countries where the rule of law has weakened since 2016. However, Poland and Zambia have made progress in reversing authoritarian trends, and corruption has declined globally over the past year.
WJP has played a pivotal role in shaping justice reforms, hosting policy discussions in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and launching initiatives like EUROVOICES, a subnational rule of law project surveying 72,000 people across 110 EU regions. It has also expanded efforts in Mexico, analyzing the justice system’s treatment of 64,150 incarcerated individuals to improve accountability and human rights protections.
As authoritarianism rises, WJP has intensified efforts to strengthen democratic institutions. The World Justice Challenge 2024 recognized five winning projects addressing elections, media access, and judicial independence, with discussions featuring Poland’s Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar. Meanwhile, WJP’s U.S. rule of law report and candidate scorecard have contributed to efforts to restore public trust in democracy.
Expanding its environmental rule of law work, WJP has partnered with Reforestamos Mexico and IUCN to integrate global best practices in transparency and accountability into environmental governance. Its participation in COP24 and the Asian Development Bank’s Innovation Speakers’ Series has reinforced the importance of data-driven strategies in addressing climate challenges.
Looking ahead, WJP will host the World Justice Forum 2025 in Warsaw, Poland, focusing on countering the decline in global rule of law.