Every citizen of every country deserves the opportunity to live under the Rule of Law, and every country has an obligation to enforce the law fairly and effectively.

The global experience and guiding philosophy of IFES supports the view that an independent judiciary, an independent media, and an informed and engaged civil society are crucial to achieving the Rule of Law. IFES' Rule of Law programs include multidisciplinary initiatives designed to promote more demand for reform as well as best practices in a number of inter-related areas, including judicial independence, judicial enforcement, transparency, accountability, open government, access to information, whistle blowing, coalition building and human rights.

While priorities and strategies vary from country to country, there are certain crosscutting principles that guide all of IFES' Rule of Law initiatives. These include comprehensive functional and formal assessments, strategic program design, coalition building, public-private partnerships, civil society monitoring and engagement, and public and civic education. IFES’ unique approach to programming in this sector incorporates local, national, regional, and global strategies and programs. In addition, IFES offers a practical “how-to” Rule of Law Toolkit and a participatory methodology that promotes international norms, consensus, lessons learned, and strategic, holistic programming.