Across Somalia, where the echoes of conflict still shape daily life, Michelle Doerlemann (from Germany) is helping redefine what justice means and how it’s delivered.
As a justice expert with the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), Ms. Doerlemann is not only supporting institutional reform but also rebuilding public trust in justice systems through innovative, community-centred approaches.
Doerlemann’s work is rooted in the belief that justice must be legitimate, inclusive, and accessible. She helps communities, customary elders, and justice authorities reshape how justice is understood, delivered, and sustained in one of the world’s most challenging environments.
In 2024, Doerlemann led a groundbreaking initiative titled Judges as Local Drivers of Judicial Legitimacy, conducting workshops across Somalia’s federal member states.
Through role-playing, group work, and non-violent communication, Doerlemann emphasized that justice reform must go beyond legal frameworks and procedures to include empathy, mutual care, and trust-building
She has been instrumental in fostering generative dialogue bringing together formal justice and security actors alongside informal leaders—women, youth, and clan representatives—to collaboratively address justice challenges.
Doerlemann’s contributions are not just impactful; they’re sustainable. Her training methodologies and capacity-building efforts ensure that the knowledge and skills she imparts are institutionalized, creating lasting benefits.
Michelle Doerlemann dares to reimagine justice. Her work challenges conventional approaches and places communities, including those historically excluded, at the heart of justice reform.
Her work is setting new standards, proving that justice is most effective when it is legitimate, inclusive, and trusted by the people it serves.
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