Press Release
For Immediate Release
Judiciary of Zambia 9th Policy Committee Meeting
Lusaka 26th April 2021- Her ladyship the Hon. Chief Justice Mrs. Irene C. Mambilima this morning officially opened the 9th Policy Committee meeting of the Judiciary of Zambia which takes place from 25th – 30th April 2021 at the Bonanza Resort and Hotel in Lusaka.
The meeting aims at setting a roadmap for the judiciary as an institution for the year ahead, as well as review progress on resolutions passed at the last policy meeting held in 2018.
In her remarks, the Chief Justice said that “the ideal situation is to have the policy meeting annually, but this has not been possible due to certain circumstances such as funding and the COVID-19 pandemic. I am nevertheless grateful to be able to discuss policy issues that affect the judiciary and are likely to impact the institution in the years to come. I must hasten to point out that while Covid-19 may have thrown a spanner in some of the works, it should by no means be an excuse to downsize efforts in achieving our set goals and objectives. On the contrary, the Covid-19 pandemic provides us with more impetus to accelerate our collective efforts and find solutions to our problems even in the face of a global pandemic. We must still endeavour to find ways to implement and adapt our policies to new working methods so that we continue to deliver on our constitutional mandate of timely and affordable justice delivery”.
Chief Justice Mambilima also said that she was glad that the meeting would receive reports from the various Advisory Committees of the Judiciary, and particularly the newly constituted Advisory Committee on Infrastructure, more so that the problem of infrastructure was one that was very challenging for the institution.
In addition to considering reports of the Advisory Committees and the Courts countrywide, the meeting addresses the 2021 – 2026 Judiciary Strategic Plan which outlines the vision, mission, core values and the strategic focus of the judiciary for the next five years. It shows the commitment of the judiciary to achieve excellence in the administration of justice through the core function of adjudication.
Another policy matter to be considered is the introduction of the Performance Management System which aims at creating a framework against which the Judiciary can assess its performance. This is aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness of the public service in executing its functions and also introduce an effective personnel appraisal system. This is expected to introduce a culture of work planning and target setting in the Judiciary as a public institution.
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Contact
Kalumba Chisambisha-Slavin
Judiciary of Zambia
Email: kalumba.slavin@judiciaryzambia.com
