Innovators & Influencers

Meet Innovators & Influencers—a network of local rule of law experts available to help navigate the terrain and design activities in their countries and regions

Habiba-Akter-300

Habiba Akter 

Former USAID/Bangladesh  • Independent Rule of Law and Justice Expert  •  LinkedIn Profile 

Country & Regional Expertise

  • Bangladesh, Cambodia, Guinea, Sierra Leone
  • Africa 
  • Asia
  • Global

Technical Skills & Leadership

  • Judicial Reform & Court Administration
  • Access to Justice & Legal Empowerment
  • Digital Justice & Automation
  • Legal Education & Professional Development

Favorite Justice Quote

"If you want peace, work for justice" -- Pope Paul VI 

Program Design & Management

I bring over two decades of experience designing and managing complex Rule of Law  programs exceeding $30 million, with a focus on people-centered justice, access to legal aid, and gender equality. At USAID/Bangladesh, I designed interventions informed by rigorous assessments and political economy analyses to identify systemic barriers and local power dynamics. I also applied human-centered design approaches to ensure programming reflected the lived realities of marginalized populations, including women, persons with disabilities, and gender-diverse communities.

My design process emphasizes co-creation with government counterparts, judiciary, civil society organizations, and beneficiaries to promote sustainability and local ownership. For example, I introduced a Court Improvement Plan grounded in the International Framework for Court Excellence, which enhanced case management and accelerated case resolution in family tribunals. I also spearheaded the first formal partnership with the Bangladesh Women Judges Association, fostering intergenerational learning between women judges and law students.

Using adaptive management and data-driven learning, I continuously refine program design. When monitoring revealed limited access to legal aid for detainees, for example, I expanded the program to include prison visits and rural legal aid clinics. I also applied Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) principles to strengthen legal aid coordination and feedback loops between regional and national levels.

Innovations & Achievements

Introduced a Court Improvement Plan Based on the International Framework for Court Excellence:  Introduced a Court Improvement Plan grounded in global standards, emphasizing data-driven performance review and participatory reform to address case backlogs. Judges implemented pre-trial conferences and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, substantially reducing case disposal times. This people-centered innovation strengthened judicial ownership and transparency while improving citizens’ experience with the courts.

Institutionalized Gender-Responsive Judicial Leadership through the Women Judges Association

Initiated the first-ever formal partnership with the Bangladesh Women Judges Association, supporting organizational development and mentoring initiatives with law students, to provide women judges with a professional platform for growth and advocacy. This innovation created intergenerational learning spaces and inspired young women to enter the judiciary and legal aid sectors. It also fostered gender-sensitive judicial practice and promoted pro bono advocacy for marginalized women and children.

Established Specialized Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP) Tribunals:  Led advocacy with the Ministry of Law, Ministry of Home Affairs, and donors to establish five specialized TIP tribunals to address chronic backlog and low conviction rates.  I led the creation of multidisciplinary task forces linking police, prosecutors, and legal aid NGOs. These reforms improved witness protection, increased victim participation, expedited case resolution, increased conviction rates, and strengthened survivor confidence in the justice system. 

Most Significant Justice Innovation Obstacle

Limited or short-term funding and reliance on pilot projects without sustainable financing is a common obstacle to innovation.  

Best Practice for Justice Innovation

Reliable and sustainable financing is critical to scale and sustain innovations in the justice space that meet people’s legal needs and close the justice gap.   

Most Promising Area(s) for Justice Innovation

People-centered justice services that connect courts and community-based systems. Collect real-time information about legal needs and experiences to design innovative services like community justice centers, one-stop dispute resolution hubs, and online tools that are user-friendly, timely, and affordable.  

Rethinking Design, Delivery, and Financing of Rule of Law and Justice

Put People and their Justice Problems and Priorities First:  Focusing not only on institutions, but on outcomes that improve lives, trust, and fairness. Employ political economy analyses, legal needs surveys, and justice audits that examine how justice is delivered, accessed, and perceived. Prioritize co-creation and empower local actors. Measure not only institutional reforms but also people’s ability to resolve their justice problems. Procurement should encourage innovation, local solutions, and iterative learning.