The National Legislative Development Project in Vietnam is in its third year of Phase 2 and focuses on providing support to our Vietnamese partners as they create courses on policy development and legislative drafting. Carolyn Levy, an instructional designer with Blank Design, is guiding the design and development of the policy course with Vietnamese partners and with support from the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario, as well as other policy specialists. Athabasca University, along with a former chief legislative counsel with the federal Department of Justice, Lionel Levert, are guiding the design and development of the legislative development course, supported by Sandra Markman, Chief Legislative Counsel with the Government of Yukon.
Based on best practices in adult learning, the project introduces a skills-based method to curriculum development and a participatory teaching pedagogy, which are new approaches in Vietnam.
Recognizing the importance of a cohesive integration of gender mainstreaming in law-making, the project also supports the inter-ministerial Gender Equality Working Group with targeted training on gender mainstreaming in policy development and legislative drafting. The working group, formed to create a core group of experts in gender equality and law-making, has representatives from every partner ministry. It is hoped that the group will initiate inter-ministerial collaboration.
Photo: Professor Dale Dewhurst, Athabasca University (back row, left), former Chief Legislative Counsel, Lionel Levert (back row, right) with the Vietnamese partners.