Contact:
Lorri Montgomery
Director of Communications
National Center for State Courts
757.259.1525
lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us
Member of Egyptian Ministry of Justice Receives
Top Award from National Court Organization
Williamsburg, VA (May 20, 2008) – Counselor Osama Ahmed Attawia, Assistant to Egypt’s Minister of Justice for Follow Up and Accomplishments, is the recipient of the 2008 Distinguished Service Award for the International Judiciary, one of the highest awards presented by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). The Distinguished Service Award for the International Judiciary is presented annually to a person who has made longstanding contributions to the improvement of the justice system in their country and who has supported the mission of the National Center for State Courts.
Mary McQueen, NCSC president, presented Counselor Attawia the award on May 20 in a ceremony at the Ministry of Justice in Cairo. “Counselor Attawia is a key supporter of court modernization in Egypt,” McQueen said. “His support and vision for a modern judiciary continues to be essential for the successful introduction of changes in the court and is at the center of the NCSC’s ongoing success with court reform initiatives in Egypt.”
Counselor Attawia’s appointment to the Ministry of Justice position came after a long and distinguished career in the Judicial Inspection Division as a judge on the Court of Appeals and in commercial and civil divisions. In his current position at the Ministry of Justice, Counselor Attawia has responsibilities in the oversight of the Judicial Information Center and its Technical Bureau and serves as Chief Justice on the Court of Appeals and Secretary General on the Presidential Elections Committee. He is also the ministry’s representative in the National Council for Women and has been instrumental in introducing changes that have allowed women to be appointed to the bench for the first time in Egypt.
In addition, Counselor Attawia is responsible for supporting and overseeing the implementation of two large court modernization projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) – the Administration of Justice II Project and the Family Court Project – and administered by partners NCSC and America-Mideast Education and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST). He has been NCSC’s key counterpart for the successful introduction of automation and modern case management in Egypt’s courts, and he has been instrumental in establishing specialized business case divisions to better meet that community’s needs.
The National Center for State Courts, founded in 1971 by Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice and provides leadership, research, technology, education and training to the state courts. The National Center also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, The National Center is working to improve public trust and confidence in the courts, reform the judicial selection process, develop a model policy on public access to court records, and to improve pro se litigation. The National Center is headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., and has offices in Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colo.
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