CENTRE FOR APPLIED LEGAL RESEARCH

The Centre for Applied Legal Research (CALR) is an independent research institute that empowers people, organizations and governments with sound and evidence-based legal and policy solutions and services that enhance development.

MAKING THE LAW WORK FOR DEVELOPMENT

FLAGSHIP PROJECTS

Constitutional Legislative Alignment Initiative

A joint initiative being implemented by CALR in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (MoJLPA).

Human Rights Professional Training Initiative

The programe seeks to contribute to participating institutions being better equipped to contribute to reforms and related initiatives.

Right of Access to Information Initiative

This initiative aims to build capacities among communities on the use of the right of access to information.

Legal Drafting and Capacity Building Initiative

Teaching and capacity development entails the development of individuals, groups and institutions for self-sustained legal learning.

About us

The Centre for Applied Legal Research (CALR) is an independent research institute that empowers people, organizations and governments with sound and evidence-based legal and policy solutions and services that enhance development. CALR seeks to ensure that the law is utilized to respond to everyday societal challenges.

CALR offers legal expertise, resources, tools and technical support to governments, developmental partners, and civil society organizations. Its work links the law (as it is and as it ought to be) with developmental needs across the multiple sectors of a country’s economy. In this manner its inter-disciplinary work revolves around two thematic areas, namely:
(a) Law, Democracy and Governance
(b) Law, Economics and Science

The work involving law, democracy and governance seeks to promote a democratic dispensation embedded on the rule of law while the work involving law, economics and science seeks to promote socio-economic development in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Although CALR’s work has been mainly in Zimbabwe; it has gained significant experience in the southern, eastern and northern African sub-regions. Since its humble beginnings in 2010, CALR has worked with a variety of governments, developmental partners and civil society organizations in diverse sectors including: constitutionalism and rule of law; access to justice; promotion of human rights; public health; water and sanitation; agriculture; forestry; local government; electoral systems; and information and media.

CALR

CALR aspires to be a world-class international legal research, advisory and capacity development institution that addresses the needs of present and future generations to live a life of decency, safety, good health and freedom.

The Centre for Applied Legal Research’s mission is to contribute, through collaborative applied research, capacity development and advisory services, to efforts to resolve pressing national and sub-regional problems of human survival, development and welfare.

It provides legal education leadership on aspects of good governance, public health, human rights, financial regulation, environment and natural resources management etc. with a special emphasis on collaboration between Zimbabwean and non-Zimbabwean legal education institutes.

It, therefore, serves the people of Zimbabwe and the Southern Africa sub-region with state-of-the-art applied legal research and with the accumulated knowledge in these areas.

CALR is managed by a Board of Trustees and a Management Team.

The Board currently consists of 6 Trustees, who were selected on the basis of their past and continued contribution to scholarship in various legal and non-legal areas.

Specific membership is reserved for: permanent teaching staff of the Faculty of Law of recognized Universities; members of the legal fraternity, recognized for their experience and knowledge in legal practice in the private, public and/or NGO sectors; and the Executive Director of the Centre.

  • Zimbabwe on course to scrap death penalty

    With support from the Centre for Applied Legal Research (CALR) and the Switzerland Embassy to Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (MoJLPA) early last year held nationwide grassroots stakeholder consultations soliciting people’s views regarding the death penalty. A report was produced by the Ministry which captured people’s views regarding

    February 8, 2024
  • To Abolish or Retain the death penalty, Zimbabwe Searches for a Position

    Zimbabwe has not had any executions since 2005, the nation has been on a de facto moratorium on executions for 18 years. Through the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (MoJLPA), the government embarked on a nationwide grassroots consultation programme where the MoJLPA sought to hear people’s views regarding the death penalty. With support

    April 28, 2023
  • Ministry of Justice Gears to Consult the Masses on the Death Penalty

    Following the announcement by the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (MoJLPA) that it will hold nationwide consultations on the death penalty, seeking to solicit people’s views on it, the Ministry of Justice held Training of the Trainers’ sessions (ToTs) in Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare. The ToTs ran from the 13th of March to

    March 27, 2023
  • Government set to consult people on death penalty

    Following the announcement by the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (MoJLPA) to hold public consultations on the death penalty, ordinary Zimbabweans will have an opportunity to give input on coming up with an official position on the death penalty. With support from the Centre for Applied Legal Research (CALR) and the Switzerland Embassy

    March 26, 2023

PUBLICATIONS & RESOURCES

Zimbabwe Rule of Law Journal

CALR Resources

IMT Resources

Zimbabwe CSO Constitutional Consortium Resources

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