Strengthening governments, elevating the rule of law

Strengthening governments, elevating the rule of law

The Oxford Policy Fellowship (OPF) is a unique development programme. We see the rule of law as being central to achieving sustainable development. We respond to demand from low- and middle-income country (LMIC) governments for legal expertise by providing them with lawyers who work for two years as local civil servants.
The lawyers, known as Fellows, work alongside their ministry colleagues to strengthen government’s legal and public policy capacity as well as supporting processes that improve the rule of law. This improved capacity helps LMIC governments to negotiate, for example, better terms with aid agencies for loan agreements, domesticate international conventions, and strengthen national policies and legislative frameworks. Strengthening governments’ legal capacity is a fundamental step in achieving sustainable development.
The Rule of Law is important to laying the foundations for good governance and sustainable development. Through access to justice, law and legal professionals become facilitators of solutions which give a voice to the voiceless, challenge discrimination, and hold decisionmakers accountable. The World Bank supports the important role legal professionals and local civil servants play across the world to deliver on our area of priority. We rely on contributors such as Oxford Policy Fellowship in helping us deliver on our promise to end poverty and promote shared prosperity for all. Sandie Okoro, World Bank Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel

What does the Oxford Policy Fellowship do?

Place high calibre lawyers in low- and middle-income ministries to work as civil servants and build local capacity.

Create and facilitate a network of law and public policy professionals.

Generate and share learnings on embedded technical assistance and the role of law in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Recent news

A new OPF chapter

2021 has brought a lot of exciting change. Firstly, people are finally receiving the much-longed vaccine for Covid-19, providing some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Secondly, the Oxford Policy Fellowship (OPF) would like to announce that four Fellows have successfully completed their postings and we have a new Government partner and two […]

Find out more
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Sectors we work in

book

Education

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Environment and climate change

Coins

Finance

Health

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Public Private Partnerships

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Trade and investments

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Water and Energy

What impact has the Oxford Policy Fellowship had?

  • Universal health coverage and tobacco control in Sierra Leone
  • Intellectual property reform in Rwanda
  • Environmental legal reform in Ethiopia
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