Asia

The Asia Division currently implements technical legal assistance programs in Cambodia, China, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, and a regional anti-corruption program. It previously has worked in Afghanistan, East Timor, Mongolia, India and Indonesia. Much of the Asia Division’s work focuses on the following substantive areas: judicial and legal profession development, anti-corruption, and citizens' rights advocacy aimed at increasing access to justice. The Asia Division has also played an important role as a convener of region-wide meetings for legal professionals, including a judicial program for high court justices from Indonesia, Laos, Philippines and Thailand that was conceived of and moderated by Asia Division board member and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. More recently, the Asia Division held a regional conference that addressed how members of the legal and judicial professions can combat corruption in the justice sector.

Workshops Enhance the Capacity of Newly Appointed Philippine Judges

In 2009, 127 of the 212 newly appointed executive and vice-executive judges in the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions attended a series of three-day workshops conducted by the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), with funding support from the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Read more »»

 

Bangladeshi Lawyers Take Part in Women’s Rights Training

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) called upon its reserves of pro bono legal specialists to help train 17 Bangladeshi lawyers about women’s rights in August. Dr. Sujata Warrier, Director of the New York City Program of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, volunteered ten days of her time as part of a U.S. State Department-funded ABA ROLI program to protect women’s rights in Bangladesh. During the training, Dr. Warrier offered insights gained from her 21-year career as a women’s rights expert. Read more »»

 

Cambodian Dispute Resolution Textbook in High Demand

In May 2009, Steven Austermiller, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI’s) legal education advisor in Cambodia, published Alternative Dispute Resolution: Cambodia—A Textbook of Essential Concepts. The publication is the country’s first legal textbook on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and focuses on new laws and techniques. Since publication, more than 1,000 copies of the textbook have been distributed to students, lawyers, judges and non-governmental organizations throughout the country. As requests continue to pour in, the office is considering another print run to keep up with demand. Read more »»

 

Vietnam Bar Leaders Tour the United States

In July and August, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) hosted a delegation of 12 Vietnamese officials, educators and lawyers for the first phase of a U.S.-Vietnam bar exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The 28-day study tour was designed to support the development of a professionally skilled, civically engaged and ethical Vietnamese bar. Read more »»

 

ABA ROLI Develops a Handbook for Philippine Executive Judges

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) recently began a program to assist the Philippine judiciary with educating its executive judges, which is the title given to the country’s presiding judges. While appointees to the position are typically promoted on the basis of their qualities as jurists, in the past they did not receive any specialized training on human resources, budgets and other important administrative functions that help the court function properly.  Read more »»

 

Community Rights Training for Tibetan Villagers

Through a grant from the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), the Snowland Great Rivers Environmental Protection Association (SGREPA), a Qinghai Province non-governmental organization, trained more than 280 villagers in the Tibetan Plateau on community rights and illegal mining. The trainings, offered in six villages in January and February, were meant to raise the awareness of local communities about their right to participate in making decisions that affect their livelihood and cultural heritage. Read more »»

 

Discussion and Consensus-Building Mark Initial Steps to Reduce Gender-Based Violence in Bangladesh

On May 30, ABA ROLI supported a Women Entrepreneur Association of Bangladesh (WEAB)-hosted roundtable focused on addressing gender-based violence (GBV) through community involvement. The roundtable, which brought together key actors and stakeholders, was intended to gather insight and advice on identifying, training and deploying community volunteers to better tackle GBV, particularly in rural areas of Bangladesh. Read more »»

 

• Cambodia’s First Public Interest Law Firm Launches Operations

• Paññāsāstra University Team Wins Cambodian National Mock Trial Competition

• ABA ROLI, Chinese Association for NGO Cooperation Promote NGO-Government Discussions

• Cambodian Team Reaches Semi-Finals in International Law Student Competition

• ABA ROLI, China Anti-Domestic Violence Network Train Police, Judges and Advocates

• ABA ROLI Contributes to Constitution-Drafting Process in Nepal

• ABA ROLI Hosts Second Annual Client Counseling Competition in Cambodia

• Pro Bono Expert Weighs in on His Experience in China

• Lawyers Continue to Defend Villagers in Cambodian Land Case

• ABA ROLI Continues to Support Vietnam’s National Bar Association