EJAM is a judicial cooperation project built around a simple idea: public confidence grows when justice institutions are independent, professional, coordinated, and understandable to the people they serve.
In Mongolia, EJAM supports that work by helping judicial institutions strengthen practical ways of working, both internally and with each other. EJAM is built around steady, credible steps that institutions can sustain over time within their existing mandates.
EJAM is funded by the Government of Canada. It is implemented on the Canadian side by the Canadian federally appointed judiciary through the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada (FJA), in cooperation with Canadian judicial partners. In Mongolia, EJAM is carried forward with judicial and justice-sector partner institutions, with Mongolian ownership as the organising principle.
EJAM's focus is on judicial institutions. At the same time, the project recognises that trust in justice is shaped by how people experience the system in practice. For that reason, EJAM incorporates perspectives on justice-user experience where appropriate, in ways that support practical problem-solving while respecting the independence, roles, and responsibilities of judicial institutions.
EJAM is designed to align with Vision2050, Mongolia's long term development vision, and the Judicial Development Policy of Mongolia, the approved ten year plan for judicial system reform.
EJAM supports partner judicial institutions to move from broad objectives to practical actions. This includes supporting coordination across institutions, helping develop tools and guidance, strengthening professional exchanges, and documenting lessons in ways that institutions can adopt, adapt, and maintain over time.
EJAM supports professional practices that reinforce independence, fairness, and institutional credibility. In practical terms, this includes attention to how institutions clarify roles, uphold professional standards, support ethical culture, and maintain trusted processes that demonstrate integrity.
EJAM recognises that trust is shaped by what people experience and understand. When institutions communicate clearly about their roles, work predictably, and demonstrate credible cooperation, confidence strengthens. EJAM supports approaches that help institutions explain their work in plain language, share information responsibly, and engage the public in ways that fit judicial mandates.
EJAM supports practical improvements that help people navigate the justice system more effectively. This includes user-focused approaches to information, procedures, and engagement, with attention to barriers experienced by women, persons with disabilities, rural and remote communities, and others who may face unequal access to justice services or justice information.
EJAM is built on institutional partnership. Mongolian partner institutions lead the work on their side. Canadian support is provided through the Canadian judiciary, focused on practical peer cooperation and institutional strengthening.
The Supreme Court of Mongolia is the highest judicial body in Mongolia. It exercises final appellate jurisdiction in cases within its competence and ensures the uniform interpretation and application of law across the court system. The Court is composed of 25 justices, including the Chief Justice, and operates through judicial chambers, including civil, criminal, and administrative. It also provides guidance to lower courts in support of consistent and predictable justice.
The Judicial General Council is the central institution responsible for the overall operation of the judicial system in Mongolia. Its statutory mandate includes ensuring the impartiality and independence of the judiciary, managing human resources for the judicial system, protecting the legal status and interests of judges, and safeguarding the financial and economic independence of the judiciary. The JGC is composed of ten members, five judicial and five non-judicial, who serve four-year non-renewable terms.
The Judicial Disciplinary Committee is an independent body established under the 2021 Law on Courts. It is responsible for overseeing judicial discipline, adjudicating allegations of judicial misconduct, and ensuring adherence to ethical standards within the judiciary. The JDC has nine members, four judicial and five non-judicial, who serve six-year non-renewable terms.
The Judicial Academy is responsible for judicial training in Mongolia and operates under the authority of the Supreme Court. All judges are required to complete a minimum of 32 hours of training annually, with additional discretionary courses available. The Academy has a rapidly expanding e-learning programme and maintains a digital library for judges. It also undertakes public-facing activities, including operating an information centre and pursuing the establishment of a dedicated "Judicial Channel."
The Mongolian Judges Association is a voluntary organisation representing judges and serves as an independent professional voice for the judiciary. Its role includes advocating for judicial rights and independence, supporting the professional interests of judges, and disseminating public information about the judicial system. The MJA also hosts the Mongolian Ethics Advisory Committee, a voluntary peer-to-peer body established with Canadian assistance under a previous project, which provides confidential advice to judges on ethical issues.
Legal Innovation is a Mongolia-based non-governmental organisation working in the justice sector. It focuses on public legal information and legal education, and on improving how people understand and engage with justice institutions. Legal Innovation is responsible for compiling a Judicial Index on a biennial basis, which tracks levels of public confidence in judicial institutions.
The Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada is a federal institution responsible for supporting Canada's federally appointed judiciary. Its domestic mandate includes administering the judicial appointments process for superior courts and supporting appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada, providing administrative and policy support to the judiciary, and supporting judicial independence through services related to judges' conditions of service, compensation, and professional needs. FJA also serves as the administrative office of the Canadian Judicial Council, supporting the Council in the exercise of its statutory mandate. Internationally, FJA supports judicial cooperation initiatives on behalf of the Canadian judiciary, drawing on this domestic mandate and institutional experience.
The National Judicial Institute Canada is Canada's primary provider of judicial education for federally appointed judges. Its domestic mandate includes developing and delivering continuing education programs for judges, supporting judicial excellence, and promoting a strong and independent judiciary through high-quality professional learning. NJI also engages in international judicial education cooperation, drawing on its domestic expertise in curriculum design, adult learning, and peer-based judicial training.
EJAM works through structured cooperation among institutions, supported by practical tools and professional exchanges. The project is designed to help institutions move from shared objectives to concrete actions that can be implemented, tested, refined, and sustained over time.
EJAM is deliberately focused on areas where the Canadian judiciary has long-standing experience and well-established practices to share through peer cooperation: judicial integrity and ethical culture, approaches that sustain public confidence, judicial education and professional development, and practical access-to-justice problem-solving grounded in institutional roles.
Project priorities are identified through dialogue with Mongolian partner institutions and informed by what institutions themselves see as most important and most feasible. This includes attention to cross-institutional issues that affect how the justice system functions as a whole, as well as areas where better information, clearer processes, or improved coordination can strengthen public confidence.
EJAM is built around peer-to-peer institutional cooperation. This means judges working with judges, court administrators with court administrators, and educators with educators in the context of judicial training and education. It also includes other forms of peer exchange that strengthen the justice ecosystem, such as NGOs working with NGOs, and professional associations working with associations. The aim is practical institutional strengthening through counterparts who understand each other’s roles, constraints, and operating realities.
EJAM support is practical and tailored. Depending on the area of work, this can include:
The Project Steering Committee (PSC) serves as the project’s highest governance body, providing strategic guidance, ensuring alignment with the Project Implementation Plan (PIP) and results framework, and fostering collaboration across all components and stakeholders. It provides strategic oversight, coordination, and decision-making support for the implementation of the project.
The Intrajudicial Working Group (IJWG) will serve as a coordination and consultation forum for Mongolia’s judicial partners under the EJAM Project. Its primary purpose is to advance the implementation of EJAM’s cross-cutting themes by promoting dialogue, joint planning, and coordinated institutional action among them, in support of more effective achievement of the project’s intended outcomes.
The Project Implementation Committee (PIC) provides a structured forum for managing operational activities, ensuring timely delivery of project outputs, and facilitating communication between partner institutions and the EJAM field staff.
The Project Implementation Committee (PIC) will serve as a working-level coordination and problem-solving body, composed of operational representatives from all EJAM partner institutions and the EJAM local team.
The Equal Justice for All in Mongolia (EJAM) project is implemented by a dedicated team based in Canada and Mongolia, ensuring effective coordination, oversight, and delivery.
At the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada (FJA) in Ottawa, the project team includes a Project Director, Project Manager, Activities Coordinator, and Financial Officer. The team is supported by a Results-Based Management, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (RBM/MEAL) Lead.
In Mongolia, EJAM is supported by two locally based staff members: a Project Lead and a Project Officer.
For general enquiries related to the Equal Justice for All in Mongolia (EJAM) project, please contact:
For EJAM partner institutions and approved users. Access the secure project workspace for internal materials, coordination documents, and partner-only information.
This project is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
