Press Release | First-ever win for Taiwan! Standing out among 424 civil society organizations globally, the Judicial Reform Foundation wins the World Justice Challenge Award

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The World Justice Challenge (WJC) is a major international project competition organized by the international organization World Justice Project. This year's theme is "The Rule of Law: Foundation of Democracy," focusing on effective strategies to strengthen the rule of law, resist authoritarianism, and rebuild trust in democratic governance. A total of 424 civil society groups from 109 countries applied.

Today at 01:30 Taiwan time, during the American Bar Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, the WJC held the final round for the top 30 finalists¹, ultimately selecting one grand prize winner for each of the five themes.

Represented by Attorney Huang Kuan-hsin (International Affairs and Digital Human Rights Project Manager), the Judicial Reform Foundation successfully brought home the grand prize! This achievement once again lets the world witness the influence of Taiwan's civil society and the sustainable operational results of Taiwan's oldest judicial reform organization! Especially as this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Sunflower Student Movement (318 Movement), highlighting Taiwan's civil society efforts in safeguarding the rule of law centered around the March 18 volunteer lawyer platform makes this award exceptionally meaningful.

Thank you to the organizers, and thank you to the partners of the Judicial Reform Foundation who love Taiwan and jointly safeguard democracy and the rule of law. The Judicial Reform Foundation will continue its efforts and looks forward to Taiwan's determination and strategy in consolidating democracy and the rule of law amidst an era of authoritarian expansion, providing confidence and support to our regional democratic partners.

¹Including local organizations such as Kimpact Development Initiative (Nigeria), Free Courts Foundation (Poland), YUCOM (Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights) (Serbia), and the regional organization The Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice (Latin America), among others.

Official Award Press Release (English)

CHICAGO (Aug. 1, 2024) – The World Justice Project announced the five winners of the World Justice Challenge 2024 during the “Meeting the Challenge: World Justice Project Convening on Democracy and the Rule of Law.” The winning projects all support this year’s theme of “The Rule of Law: Foundation of Democracy.”

These exemplary projects were chosen for their potential for replication and their demonstrated impact in advancing the rule of law in four categories: electoral processes and transitions of government power; justice institutions; free media and trustworthy information; and youth engagement. A special U.S. Building Trust prize was awarded to the strongest U.S. project making an impact in one of more the categories.

The winners were selected from a pool of 30 finalists from 23 countries, narrowed down from 424 submissions from 109 countries. The World Justice Challenge 2024 winners are:

Electoral Processes Prize: Pacto Pela Democracia (Brazil)
Justice Institutions Prize: Judicial Reform Foundation (Taiwan)
Media and Information Prize: Media Foundation for West Africa (Ghana)
U.S. Building Trust Prize: Common Cause (United States)
Youth Engagement and Alumni Vote Prize: Politize! – Civic Education Institute (Brazil)

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