In a constantly evolving world, justice plays a fundamental role in preserving the rights and security of every individual. For judicial systems to fully fulfill their roles, they are required to continuously adapt to the demands and challenges of the digital era.
The digital transformation of justice is indeed a complex and exciting process that presents unique opportunities to enhance the efficiency, accessibility, and fairness of the judicial system. It also poses significant challenges to overcome. In Morocco, the digitization process began in 1989 with the reform of the telecommunications sector and the development of information technology infrastructure. The year 1995 marked the introduction of the internet in Morocco and the launch of the first government websites. Recognizing the importance of this lever for economic and social development, Morocco initiated its first national strategy to integrate the information society and the knowledge economy, known as “e-Maroc 2005,” in 2000. Since then, several digital strategies have followed (eMaroc 2009, Maroc Numéric 2013, Maroc Digital 2020, NOG2023), elevating Morocco to the status of an emerging country in this field. Today, Morocco is more determined than ever to irreversibly anchor itself in the digital era. In this direction, the new economic and social development model has established a Ministry responsible for digital transition in 2021. This Ministry is currently formulating a new vision for the year 2030.
The justice sector has been among the pioneering sectors in harnessing technological opportunities, and the digital transformation of justice services has always been a prominent component of the above-mentioned e-government strategies. Concurrently, digital technology is a key driver in the justice reform charter, particularly its 6th objective of “modernizing judicial administration and strengthening its governance,” which encompasses the following goals:
- Establishing the prerequisites for digital jurisdiction;
- Modernizing judicial administration and opening it to the citizen;
- Enhancing the infrastructure of jurisdictions.
Thanks to the combined efforts of all actors in the justice ecosystem, Morocco now stands as an inspirational model in the field of digital justice, particularly in the context of South-South cooperation. This is evidenced by the notable advances that the Kingdom continues to accumulate on several fronts, including:
- Governance of digital transformation in the sector;
- Improvement of judicial services to ensure easy, fast, transparent, and equitable access to justice;
- Modernization of information systems in jurisdictions;
- Strengthening the legal and regulatory framework;
- Development of digital capacities and skills.
The assessment of digital justice is certainly positive, but some challenges still persist, including the slowness of judicial procedures, adaptation of the legal and regulatory framework, insufficient human resources, digital infrastructure, change management, and digital inclusion. These challenges are not specific to Morocco but are common in many judicial systems worldwide. Hence, the collaboration and exchange of experiences are of great interest to converge towards efficient solutions.
Determined to address these challenges while highlighting Morocco’s efforts in the field of digital transformation, the Ministry of Justice and its partners have adopted a new vision to propel the digital transformation process of the judicial ecosystem. In this context, a partnership has been established with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the primary goal of supporting the implementation of the justice reform charter.
It is in this context that the international conference is organized, scheduled to take place in Morocco on February 8 and 9, 2024, in Tangier. Under the theme “Digital Transformation of the Judicial System: A Vector for Efficient and Inclusive Justice,” this meeting will be a flagship event reflecting Morocco’s commitment to digital justice and its alignment with:
- The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda: The conference aims to highlight the contribution of the digital transformation of the judicial system to the achievement of SDGs, particularly those related to justice, equality, access to justice, and effective institutions.
- Integration of the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The conference recognizes the importance of Agenda 2063 for Africa and aims to promote the modernization of the judicial system as an essential element for sustainable development and continental integration.
The conference will provide a unique platform bringing together actors in digital justice at the national, regional, and international levels to exchange experiences and best practices and delve into discussions on the opportunities offered by digital transformation in the field. A range of topics will be discussed, including:
- Challenges and opportunities of digital transformation in justice
- Legal and regulatory framework of digital justice
- User-centric digital justice services
- Integrated digital judicial ecosystem: the challenges of interoperability
- Data-centric digital justice
- Digital justice and the promotion of investments
- Skills required to accompany the digital transformation of justice
The conference targets an audience of 200 participants, including high-level decision-makers, practitioners, and experts, as well as representatives from public institutions in both advanced and emerging countries in terms of justice digitization.