Aware of the importance of an independent judicial council in strengthening the independence of the Judiciary and the need for far more significant and tangible initiatives in this field, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), together with the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS) held a seminar on 22-23 November 2008 on the potential role of judicial councils in promoting and protecting the independence of the Judiciary. The seminar focused on five countries
in North Africa and the Middle East: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and the Palestinian Territories.
The report, entitled "Judicial Councils Reforms for an Independent Judiciary" describes the functioning of the Judicial Council in the target countries with special emphasis on the international standards and principles applied to the independence of judges. It draws on analyses made by the participants and on constitutional and legislative measures relating to the functioning, composition and purview of the Judicial Council in these countries.
The report includes seminar recommendations for the national level (national authorities, civil society associations, judges, etc.), and parties external to the judicial reform (funding agencies, regional and international organisations, etc.).