Rule of Law Award

  • RULE OF LAW AWARD

The World Justice Project Rule of Law Award recognizes extraordinary achievements by individuals, organizations, and institutions to strengthen the rule of law in exemplary ways.

Former South African Chief Justice Raymond Zondo was awarded the prestigious World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Award in recognition of his unwavering commitment to justice and his courageous efforts in exposing systemic corruption.

The award was presented by WJP Board Vice President Judy Perry Martinez at the 2025 World Justice Forum, a global gathering of rule of law champions. Polish Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar, a prior recipient of the award in 2019, made accompanying remarks. 

Past recipients include Rede Wayuri (2022), a communications collective providing a voice for the Amazon’s Indigenous peoples; Adam Bodnar (2019), Poland’s then-Commissioner for Human Rights; U.S. President Jimmy Carter (2017); the global anti-poverty organization BRAC (2013); and Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi (2013).

For inquiries about the 2025 Rule of Law Award, please contact forum@worldjusticeproject.org.

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Nozomi Iwama

Deputy Director General, Governance and Peace Building Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Ms. Nozomi Iwama is the Deputy Director General in charge of governance cooperation of JICA, at the Governance and Peace Building Department. Prior to this assignment, she was the Senior Director and Head of Office for Global Issues and Development Partnership, Operations Strategy Department of JICA from February 2021 to February 2024. She was responsible for JICA’s partnership relations and strategic dialogues with development partners. She served as Senior Representative of JICA’s Vietnam Office from 2017 to 2021. Her other previous assignments include Director for Southeast Asia and Pacific Department, Deputy Director of Office of International Affairs of Financial Services Agency of Japan. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration in International Development (MPAID) from John F. Kennedy School of　Government of Harvard University.
 

Justice Madan B. Lokur

Former Judge of the Supreme Court of India

Justice Madan B. Lokur is a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India and the first Indian to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Fiji, where he served until January 2025. He currently serves as Chairperson of the United Nations Internal Justice Council and continues his work as an independent arbitrator and legal commentator. As a Supreme Court Judge, Justice Lokur was known for handling key social justice cases, with his Bench becoming widely known as the “Social Justice» Bench. Justice Lokur has been a strong advocate for judicial reform, access to justice, child rights, and environmental protection. He chaired key committees in the Indian judiciary, including the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee and the E-Committee for court computerization.

Adam Krzywoń

Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Poland

Adam Krzywoń was appointed as Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Poland on 1 January 2025. Currently, he serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Constitutional Law at the University of Warsaw. His academic focus includes Polish and comparative constitutional law and the protection of human rights. Additionally, he is a researcher at the German Research Institute for Public Administration (FÖV), where he leads an international research project examining the transformation of public service systems across Europe. Prof. Krzywoń’s professional experience includes, inter alia, working at the Constitutional Tribunal (2007–2008). From 2010 to 2018, he was a secretary and member of the Prime Minister’s Legislative Council