Our capacity building programme delivers support and training opportunities around the world. It aims to facilitate academic, practical and professional opportunities for:
- lawyers
- law societies
- bar associations
- civil society organisations
We provide specialist support in mutually agreed areas to help maintain effective and robust legal systems that uphold the rule of law.
The programme strives to design bespoke training projects that transfer UK legal expertise and skills, taking into close consideration the context in which these projects are being delivered so that they're appropriate for the legal sector in that country and/or region.
The target group is primarily members of the legal profession, law societies and bar associations.
However, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and/or civil society organisations working mainly in the provision of legal assistance are considered secondary targets.
Our aims
The main objective is to increase the capacity to respond to the needs of the legal sector and the legal profession by providing specialist support in mutually agreed areas.
With this programme, we implement capacity building activities and training that will enhance respect of human rights and the rule of law abroad, and ultimately protect the legal profession in targeted countries.
We also intend to maintain and strengthen our relationship with the beneficiaries as a way of increasing partnerships and sustainability.
Examples of capacity building could range from seminars, workshops, training projects and conferences to hosting foreign delegations, and exchanges.
What we’re doing
Following the scoping visit to Costa Rica in December 2019, we delivered a four-day seminar for 14 public servants on developing strategies for the fight against corruption in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The British Embassy in Costa Rica, BritCham Costa Rica, and the Ministry of Justice and Peace of Costa Rica supported this project.
We visited Costa Rica to assess support for an international rule of law project, as requested by the British Embassy in Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Ministry of Justice and Peace.
We took part in a joint fact-finding mission to Guatemala with the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) and the Vance Center for International Justice to follow up on the previous report of May 2018.
We met Gabriela Ramos, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) chief of staff and sherpa to the G20, in Paris to discuss the deepening in our collaboration with the OECD on the rule of law.
December 2017 – we presented our final evaluation report on the judicial training programme for judges and senior court officials from Kazakhstan
November 2017 – we took part in the annual Commonwealth Professional Fellowship project by hosting four professional fellows from the Rwanda Bar Association, the Law Society of Kenya, the Uganda Law Society and the Pan-African Lawyers Union
September 2017 – we celebrated the successful completion of the judicial training programme for judges and senior court officials from Kazakhstan
Get involved
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