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.

Beijing Conference Addresses Environmental Law Enforcement in China

On January 9, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), in cooperation with the Research Institute of Environmental Law (RIEL) at Wuhan University, hosted a conference on local judicial reforms in environmental law. Read more »»

 

Cambodian Delegation Attends LAWASIA Annual Conference

From November 9 to 12, ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) staff and Cambodian lawyers attended the annual conference of LAWASIA—an international organization of lawyers’ associations, individual lawyers, judges and legal academics, which focuses on the interests and concerns of the legal profession in the Asia Pacific region. Read more »»

 

Mediation Symposium Brings Together Key Chinese Players, International Counterparts

From November 5–6, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), the University of Massachusetts’ John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies and the Massachusetts Judges Conference, in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Langfang Intermediate Court, conducted a symposium exploring the use of court-based mediation. Read more »»

 

ABA ROLI Trains Philippine Judges on Speedy Trial Laws

In the Philippines, with so many backlogged cases, litigation takes years, and sometimes decades, to be resolved.  In criminal cases, defendants often languish in jails awaiting trial longer than the maximum stated punishment for the crime of which they are accused. Read more »»

 

International Collaboration Hallmark of Asian Anti-Corruption Efforts

In recent months, anti-corruption efforts have taken center stage in Asia, with international cooperation a continuing point of emphasis. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), whose 21 economies generate 45% of global trade, actively combats corruption through its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Task Force (ACT). In October, ACT-supported workshops in Beijing and Bangkok gathered stakeholders to address various anti-corruption phenomena, while the November APEC summit provided an opportunity for leaders, including President Obama, to underscore their commitment to combating corruption. Read more »»

 

• D.C. Roundtable on Criminal Justice Reform in China

• Workshops Enhance the Capacity of Newly Appointed Philippine Judges

• Bangladeshi Lawyers Take Part in Women’s Rights Training

• Cambodian Dispute Resolution Textbook in High Demand

• Vietnam Bar Leaders Tour the United States

• ABA ROLI Develops a Handbook for Philippine Executive Judges

• Community Rights Training for Tibetan Villagers

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

• Cambodia’s First Public Interest Law Firm Launches Operations

• Paññāsāstra University Team Wins Cambodian National Mock Trial Competition