National Open Justice Program (PE0124)

Description of the commitment

What is the public problem that the commitment addresses?

There is a significant gap between citizen demands for more transparent and accessible justice, and the institutional capacities of the system to respond to them. This gap is reflected in international measurements such as the Rule of Law Index of the World Justice Project, which evaluates factors such as civil and criminal justice. The problem is aggravated by structural factors:

• Specific Capacity Deficit: Many magistrates and judicial operators lack training in open government and justice tools, which limits the implementation of effective reforms and the use of digital platforms.
• Organizational Culture and Resistance to Change: Hierarchy and traditional practices make it difficult to move from theory to action, perpetuating the perception of a distant and complex justice system.
• Composition of the Judicial Branch: A high percentage of judges are provisional or supernumerary (approximately 50%), which underscores the urgency of standardized and continuous training in integrity and judicial openness from the beginning of their careers.
• Citizen Distrust: The lack of participation mechanisms and the use of excessively technical language in resolutions generate distrust and make citizen oversight difficult.
• Misaligned Incentives: The absence of a formal and articulated incentive system discourages innovation and the adoption of new judicial openness practices.

What is the commitment?

The commitment establishes a national training strategy with the objective of institutionalizing a culture of openness in the Peruvian justice system through the systematic strengthening of the capacities of judges and judiciary staff in the principles of Open Government, and the creation of incentives that foster the translation of what has been learned into innovative practices in transparency, participation, integrity, and collaboration in the exercise of their functions. It seeks to generate a tangible change in the delivery of the justice service, beyond theoretical training, so that users can perceive and experience real improvements in their service and operation through:

• Clear Sentences and Resolutions: Judges applying plain language techniques, facilitating the understanding of their decisions without sacrificing legal rigor.
• Empathetic and Effective Service: Judiciary staff trained to interact with citizens using public innovation tools to understand and better address their needs.
• Proactive Transparency: Publication of judicial data in open and accessible formats, allowing analysis and reuse by citizens and the academic sector.
• Participation Spaces: Implementation of feedback and co-creation mechanisms for the continuous improvement of judicial services.

The training program will be developed in a modular and scalable manner, beginning with a first stage of basic knowledge to then consolidate a high-level training program for judges focused on:

1. Robust Training Program: With a curricular framework focused on plain language, active transparency, citizen participation, integrity, judicial ethics, and the use of open data and digital platforms. The course will culminate with a project where what has been learned is applied and will include a hands-on experience in a court from the perspective of a citizen.
2. Incentives and Recognition System: To promote and reward the implementation of good practices, generating an innovation ecosystem. Merit notes with a copy to the personal file will be included.
3. Knowledge Management: Creation of a system for participants to share and replicate successful applications of what has been learned, demonstrating tangible results, following the guidelines of the Public Management Secretariat (SGP) and in accordance with the regulations and directives for the training of judges.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem?

This commitment attacks the root causes of the gap between justice and citizens, which is not only technological, but fundamentally cultural and capacity-related:

• Faced with the lack of technical knowledge, the program equips judges and judiciary staff with specific competencies in areas such as plain language, open data, user-centered service design, and citizen participation. This transforms an abstract concept ("open justice") into a set of practical tools applicable to daily work.
• Faced with resistance to change, the incentives system (recognitions, certifications, rewarding of good practices) generates positive motivation. Through recognition and visibility, it creates a multiplier effect and promotes a healthy competition to innovate in judicial openness.
• Faced with the fragmentation of efforts, the commitment establishes a national strategy and a common framework. It ensures that openness initiatives are not isolated and voluntary efforts, but part of a coherent and sustainable institutional policy, laying the foundations for deep and lasting cultural change.
• Faced with citizen distrust, by training staff who are in direct contact with users and who issue sentences, it directly impacts the quality of service. Clearer sentences, more accessible data, and a proactive attitude toward citizen participation are the direct results that rebuild legitimacy and trust in the system.

Why is the commitment relevant to the principles of Open Government?

This commitment is a fundamental pillar for Open Government by acting directly on the actors of the justice system.

• Transparency: It builds capacity in the publication of open data and the use of plain language in sentences, which allows citizens to understand and use judicial information.
• Participation: It provides methodological tools for judges and judiciary staff to actively involve citizens in the improvement of justice services.
• Accountability and Integrity: It strengthens judicial ethics and public integrity, key elements for officials to take responsibility for their decisions and actions.
• Collaboration: The incentives system and the recognition of good practices foster an ecosystem of innovation and collaboration among judicial offices to replicate successful initiatives.

Actors involved

Public Entities:
• Judicial Branch of Peru (Lead Entity): Through its General Management. It leads the curricular design of all new topics and incentive proposals, the execution of training sessions, and the implementation of the incentives system through its competent bodies for judiciary staff (not judges or justices).
• Center for Judicial Research (CIJ) and Academy of the Magistracy (AMAG): Key actors for incorporating these new topics into the initial and continuous training of magistrates and prosecutors, implementing the principles of open justice from the base and considering the hierarchical structure of the organization.
• Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM): Through the Public Management Secretariat, Secretariat of Government and Digital Transformation, and Secretariat of Public Integrity, it provides the Open Government methodological framework and provides the training content to ensure its alignment with national standards and policies.

Civil Society and Other Actors:
• Bar Associations of Peru: They can act as judges in the good practices competition. Furthermore, within the framework of the Public Management Modernization Policy to 2030, they can provide training on plain language in sentences and legal advice to users on open government and open justice.
• Universities: They collaborate in the development of training modules and research the impact of open justice.

Commitment Program

Milestone Activity | Responsible Organic Unit | Verification Method | Start Date | End Date
1. Problem research with user focus. In-depth innovation tools will be applied (in-depth interviews, observation, focus groups) to understand real needs. | Human Resources Management in coordination with the Center for Judicial Research | Findings and training needs report identified from the user's perspective, incorporated into the institutional PDP. | January 2026 | February 2026
2. Design of the National Training Program and proposal validation. The proposal will be validated with end users to ensure its relevance. | Human Resources Management in coordination with AMAG, Bar Associations, and Universities | Official curricular framework, validated by users and experts. | February 2026 | March 2026
3. Design and Implementation of the Incentives System and Knowledge Management. | Human Resources Management | Good practices competition bases designed and platform for sharing success cases implemented. | January 2026 | March 2027
4. Communication and sustainability strategy. Execution of the Training Program, Phase I. | Communications and Institutional Image Management/Human Resources Management/CIJ | Training modules disseminated and executed. Report of adjustments made post-validation with users. | April 2027 | June 2027
5. Launch and execution of the first edition of the Good Practices in Open Justice Competition, Phase I. | Administrative Secretariat of Citizen Proposal Service/Institutional Image Management | Registered participants. | July 2027 | October 2027
6. Evaluation of results, institutionalization proposal, and replication mechanisms. | Human Resources Management | Final report with award ceremony, dissemination of results, and guide for the replication of good practices at the local level. | November 2027 | December 2027

Final Product

"National Training Program in Open Justice" institutionalized and fully operational. This final product materializes in three verifiable components:
• Official Curricular Framework: A formal training program, with modules, materials, and an evaluation system, aligned with the contents of Servir's capacity development course, approved and integrated into the Annual Capacity Building Plan of the Judiciary and AMAG.
• Operational Incentives System: "Annual Good Practices in Open Justice Competition" designed, regulated, and with its first edition completed.
• Critical Mass of Certified Servants: A first cohort of at least 100 judges and strategic judicial staff trained and certified, capable of acting as agents of change in their respective jurisdictions.

Result Indicators for the Sustainability of the Commitment
• Coverage and Certification Rate: Percentage of judges and judiciary staff who have completed and approved the national-level training program (Number of judges and judiciary staff who have completed and approved the national-level training program / Number of judges and judiciary staff enrolled in the Program)x100.
• Regional Coverage Rate: Percentage of trained staff per judicial district, with specific targets to guarantee decentralization.
• Incentives Adoption Level: Number of applications received annually for the Good Practices Competition.
• Practical Application Index: Number of good practices replication projects implemented at the local and regional level.

Commitment monitoring information

Entity responsible for the commitment
Judicial Branch (PJ)

Organic unit responsible for commitment monitoring
Human Resources Management (Training and Performance Sub-management) in coordination with the Center for Judicial Research and the Academy of the Magistracy (AMAG)