Collaboration with Cambodian colleagues focused on building the knowledge and skills of lawyers as an important part of rebuilding a rule of law system after the Pol Pot regime. Our program evolved into several regional projects on strengthening access to justicemore broadly and included Lao PDR and Vietnam, in addition to Cambodia. These projects focused on developing the institutional capacity of bar or jurist associations, professional development for lawyers and strengthening the involvement of bar associations in legal aid systems.

Cambodia/Lao PDR/Vietnam

The CBA signed a funding agreement with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in February 2009 for a two-year program: “Strengthening Access to Justice through Legal Sector Development”. The program has two geographic components: South-East Asia and Eastern Africa. The target countries in South-East Asia are Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. In Eastern Africa, the target countries are Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. 

The program will build on the CBA’s past efforts in these regions, which started in the mid-to-late 1990s.  The overall goal of the program is to improve access to justice in the programming countries, particularly for the poor and marginalized.

In South-East Asia, the CBA will be continuing to support the development of the legal profession through professional and skills training programs with the Lao Bar Association and the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia.  In Lao PDR, the training programs will focus on developing the commercial law skills of members of the Lao Bar Association.  The training in Cambodia will be delivered as part of the training program for new lawyers at the Bar Association's Lawyers Training Center and will focus on mediation and negotiation skills, contract drafting and international business transactions.

The CBA will also be supporting a workshop with the Vietnam Lawyers Association on international experience in the delivery of legal aid services through non-government organizations.  The workshop is designed to inform government policy makers in Vietnam on international models for the funding and delivery of legal aid services.

2004 - 2008 Program