The World Justice Forum showed how the fight to uphold the rule of law can take many different forms—from ensuring that people have access to representation if they are accused of a crime to protecting the right to human expression.  

Below, hear directly from two brave men leading such efforts—Ouk Vandeth, country director of World Justice Challenge winner Cambodia Bridges to Justice, and Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, founder of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. 

Afghanistan ranked 134 out of 139 in the 2021 WJP Rule of Law Index, while Cambodia ranked 138th, just ahead of bottom-ranked Venezuela. It is leaders like Vandeth and Sarmast—even in exile—who are using their work and their voices to improve the rule of law in these challenging contexts.