New Zealand has spent a billion dollars on legal aid since 2000, with the five most expensive criminal legal aid grants on cases either discharged, or where the defendant was found to be innocent.

The Council of Europe issued a new human rights handbook, Protecting the right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights.

On 9 May 2012 the Finnish Supreme Court issued a decision in a Salduz-type case.

Sierra Leone's parliament has enacted one of the most progressive legal aid laws in Africa—with an innovative approach to providing access to justice for all that will reinforce the rule of law in a society still scarred by the brutal civil war that ended in 2002.

After two years of development and pilot testing the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative published its Access to Justice Assessment Tool.

OSJI in collaboration with UNODC - Justice Unite organized a side-event entitled Improving Access to Legal Aid: Experiences and Best Practices on April 23, the first day of the 21st Crime Commission session in UNODC-Vienna.

A new book on Effective Criminal Defence in Eastern Europe has just been published. This book is devoted to criminal defence in Eastern Europe, based on a research project conducted in Bulgaria, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine during 2010 and 2011.

This joint statement makes comprehensive recommendations for amendments to the European Union Council’s revised text of the Measure C1 to ensure that the Directive upholds the minimum human rights standards for fair trials.

On April 27, 2012 the 21st session of the Commission for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice adopted the resolution for the UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice System.

The UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice has adopted a ground-breaking resolution on "access to legal aid in criminal justice systems". The resolution adopts a set of "Principles and Guidelines" designed to ensure that access to legal information, advice and assistance is available to all through the provision of legal aid.