The Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII), in collaboration with the Judiciary of the Republic of Vanuatu, recently conducted a two-day workshop on November 14 and 15 in Luganville, Santo Island, Vanuatu.
The workshop is a key component of the broader initiative titled “Improving Access to Justice in Vanuatu through Digitising Court Judgements and Training Legal Professionals and Community Leaders on How to Utilise the Digitised System.”
Funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, the project aims to address the challenge of limited access to island court judgements in Vanuatu. By digitising island court records and equipping community leaders and legal professionals with the skills to effectively use the PacLII platform, the initiative aims to enhance good governance, uphold the rule of law, and empower citizens to make informed legal decisions.
Notably, this initiative marks PacLII’s first outreach programme to Vanuatu’s outer provinces, reflecting a significant step towards bridging the gap in legal access for remote communities.
Based at The University of the South Pacific’s (USP), Emalus campus, in Port Vila, PacLII is the only comprehensive and integrated publisher of public legal information from 20 Pacific Island jurisdictions. It manages approximately 300 free-access databases, offering a depth and diversity of legal materials. PacLII’s resources include up-to-date decisions from courts and specialised tribunals, legislation, gazettes, law reform publications, and law journals.
Canada’s High Commissioner to Vanuatu, Dr Julie Sunday, said, “Canada is proud to support PacLII’s work improving access to justice for communities across Vanuatu. We recognise the importance of this issue, and I look forward to seeing how this project progresses.”
The two-day workshop, led by PacLII Editors Liliviwa Baleimatuku and Ephraim Ruddley, alongside Pauline Kalo, Vanuatu Supreme Court Librarian, brought together over 30 participants from diverse professional and community backgrounds.
Attendees included compliance officers, police prosecutors, and representatives from organisations such as the Vanuatu Women’s Centre, Oxfam, The University of the South Pacific and Provincial Government officials.
Participants engaged in hands-on training to navigate the PacLII portal and access critical legal documents. The sessions equipped attendees with practical tools to:
Kathy Mabonbani, Project Officer of the Sanma Counselling Centre in Luganville, remarked that, “These trainings are incredibly significant, and their impact will be even greater if they can reach our communities.”
The workshop is part of a broader effort that includes digitisation projects in three island Courts. The PacLII team, along with the Vanuatu Supreme Court librarian, is actively working to scan and upload court judgments from Island Courts in Santo, Malekula, and Tanna. This effort will significantly expand PacLII’s database, which currently holds 244 records dating back to 1984.
The process involves using portable scanners and laptops to digitise files, followed by an editorial phase to ensure accuracy and text search ability before it is published onto the PacLII website.
By the project’s completion in March 2025, PacLII aims to train 200 users across Vanuatu and finalise digitisation efforts, which will result in:
PacLII materials are freely accessible on www.paclii.org, making it an essential tool for advancing access to justice and the rule of law across the region.
For more details, visit the PacLII website www.paclii.org or contact PacLII’s Managing Editor, Kym Freriks at kym.freriks@usp.ac.fj. Stay updated by following PacLII on Facebook (@paclii) and LinkedIn (@paclii).
