Twenty Years of A4ID: Law, Power and the Pursuit of Justice
This year marks two decades since Advocates for International Development (A4ID) was founded. Anniversaries are often moments of celebration or nostalgia. For A4ID, this milestone demands something more serious: a clear-eyed reflection on the role of law in development, the power it holds to shape lives, and the responsibility that comes with deploying it in contexts shaped by inequality, fragility and conflict.
Twenty years on, the question is not simply what A4ID has achieved, but whether the global development system has truly learned the lesson that law is not optional.
A4ID was established in response to a persistent blind spot in development thinking. Two decades ago, law was frequently treated as peripheral, a technical or transactional concern to be addressed late in the process, or only when programmes encountered difficulty, in other words when things went wrong. Legal frameworks, institutions and incentives were too often an afterthought.
Experience has since shown what many communities already knew. Development efforts that fail to engage seriously with the law are inherently fragile. Without the rule of law, gains cannot be sustained. Without legal accountability, progress remains precarious. Without access to justice, those most affected by poverty and exclusion remain unheard.
But there is a further reality that must be acknowledged: law is not neutral. When poorly designed or irresponsibly applied, it can entrench inequality, legitimise exclusion and reinforce the very power imbalances development seeks to address. This is why the question has never simply been whether to engage the law, but how, for whom, and to what end.
From the outset, A4ID set out to challenge both the marginalisation of law in development and its uncritical use.
Our proposition was never that law alone could resolve deeply entrenched challenges. It was, and remains, that development initiatives which ignore the law are destined to fail, and that those which deploy it without humility risk doing harm. When legal expertise is mobilised responsibly, in partnership with those closest to the problem, it can shift power, protect rights and strengthen systems in ways that endure long after individual projects end.
Over the past twenty years, A4ID has worked across continents and sectors, supporting civil society organisations, governments, judiciaries and international institutions to confront some of the most complex challenges of our time. From strengthening regulatory frameworks and tackling corruption, to advancing women’s economic participation, safeguarding vulnerable communities and supporting accountability for international crimes, the breadth of our work reflects both the versatility of law and the depth of global need.
Critically, our impact has never been about imposing external solutions. A4ID’s model is grounded in partnership and humility. We exist to support, not supplant; to connect world-class legal expertise with locally led priorities; and to ensure that pro bono support is ethical, strategic and anchored in real-world impact. This approach has enabled us to work effectively in environments where legal infrastructure is weak, contested or emerging and where the consequences of failure are borne by those with the least power.
Some of A4ID’s most significant outcomes are not immediately visible. They are found in institutions that are stronger than before; in legal precedents quietly established; in capacity that is built and retained; and in systems that are more resilient over time. They are seen when communities are better protected from exploitation, when women gain enforceable rights in new sectors of the economy, or when accountability mechanisms begin to take shape for the gravest crimes under international law.
The demand for credible, independent legal capacity, rooted in local realities yet connected to global expertise, has never been greater. Whether supporting accountability for war crimes, strengthening regulatory frameworks in emerging economies, or ensuring that development initiatives are legally sound and rights-respecting, A4ID operates at a critical intersection between law, power and justice.
At its core, A4ID’s work has always been about political economy.
Legal systems do not operate in a vacuum. They reflect power relations, economic interests and political incentives. In many of the contexts where we work, the law is not simply underdeveloped; it is actively shaped by those who benefit from opacity, exclusion and weak accountability. Too often, development succeeds on paper while failing in practice because it leaves existing power structures untouched.
Over the past two decades, A4ID has worked precisely at this intersection where law meets power. We have seen how legal frameworks can be weaponised to exclude, how regulatory gaps enable exploitation, and how weak enforcement renders rights meaningless in practice. Equally, we have seen how carefully targeted legal interventions can disrupt entrenched interests, rebalance power and create space for reform.
This is why legal capacity building is never a purely technical exercise. It is inherently political. Supporting independent judiciaries, strengthening regulatory regimes or enabling civil society to use the law effectively all involve navigating contested terrain. They require credibility, trust and contextual understanding, as well as the discipline to resist short-term wins in favour of long-term systemic change.
The global context has only intensified these dynamics. Democratic backsliding, shrinking civic space, the rise of authoritarian governance and the increasing concentration of economic power are placing extraordinary pressure on the rule of law. At the same time, global crises, from climate change to armed conflict, are exposing the fragility of legal systems that were never designed to withstand such shocks.
In this environment, A4ID’s role is both pragmatic and principled. We help partners navigate complexity, strengthen institutions from within, and ensure that legal solutions are not only technically sound but politically viable. We recognise that sustainable change requires engaging with incentives as well as ideals and that law can only deliver justice when it is embedded in systems people trust and can access.
This is not easy work. It is slow, contested and often uncomfortable. But it is precisely this work that determines whether development gains endure or unravel when political winds shift.
The next chapter will demand boldness as well as rigour. It will require stronger collaboration across sectors, greater investment in local legal capacity, and a persistent willingness to engage with the realities of power and politics. It will also require continued humility recognising that the law can only serve justice when it is accessible, trusted and shaped by those it is meant to protect.
None of this has been achieved alone. A4ID’s strength has been its people and its partnerships: the lawyers who have given their expertise pro bono with integrity and purpose; the development partners who have recognised the value of legal insight; the trustees who have guided the organisation with care; and the staff who work, often behind the scenes, to ensure that our interventions are thoughtful, effective and impactful. Above all, our work has been guided by the trust of the communities and institutions we support, a responsibility we do not take lightly.
Twenty years on, A4ID remains committed to its founding belief: that the law can be a powerful force for good but only when it is applied with a sense of moral purpose, accountability and a resolute focus on justice.
This anniversary is not a conclusion. It is a reaffirmation of purpose and a call to responsibility.
We are living through a period of profound global instability. Armed conflict, climate change, democratic erosion and widening inequality are placing unprecedented strain on legal systems worldwide. At the same time, the rule of law itself is increasingly contested, weakened by political interference, under-resourced institutions and, in some cases, deliberate dismantling.
In this environment, the work A4ID does is not optional; it is essential.
The challenges ahead are formidable. But if the past twenty years have taught us anything, it is that when legal expertise is mobilised thoughtfully, collaboratively and ethically, it has the power not only to change lives, but to reshape systems and, in doing so, help build a more just world.
Our work continues…
