The World Justice Project (WJP) on Wednesday released its 2022 Rule of Law Index. For the fifth year in a row, the majority of countries experienced a decline in the rule of law. However, for all those years, Rwanda is among the few countries that have been on an upward trajectory. The index measures eight areas of society: constraints on government power, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice. 44 sub-factors, like labour rights and due process of law, delve deeper into each major category. In the latest index, out of 140 countries ranked worldwide, Rwanda leads among the 34 countries in the sub-Saharan region and ranked 42nd globally. Mauritius comes second to Rwanda in sub-Saharan region and 45th, Namibia (46), Botswana (51) and Senegal (56). The index measures people’s perceptions and experiences of the rule of law in 140 countries and jurisdictions. The data featured in this report comes from global surveys completed by more than 154,000 households and 3,600 legal practitioners and experts, making the Index the world’s leading source for original, independent data on the rule of law. Rule of law is internationally recognized as a foundation to peace, justice, respect for human rights, effective democracy, and sustainable development. It influences every person’s daily life and helps communities organize themselves collectively to address challenges and to progress. The rule of law is seen as essential for long-term development because it provides security for foreign and domestic investment, property and contract rights, international trade, and other vehicles for advancing economic growth. In addition, there have been suggestions that good “rule of law” performance goes hand in hand with favourable development indicators, such as lowered infant mortality and higher incomes and literacy. Over the years, law — understood as a combination of human rights, courts, property rights, formalization of entitlements, prosecution of corruption, and public order – has come to define the state of Rwanda, mainly owing to the country’s own history. The reputation of the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index commands, pours cold water on those that invested in criticising Rwanda as a country where there is no rule of law. The index is proof that Rwanda is doing everything in its capacity to ensure rule of law and so far, the country is on the right path. For Rwandans, it should only be an encouragement to sustain the efforts.
