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EBRD to help train Georgian and Kyrgyz judges
The EBRD has launched an initiative to increase the technical knowledge of
judges administering commercial law in Georgia and the Kyrgyz Republic, and is
exploring the possibility of extending the initiative to other countries.
Working with the local authorities in charge of the judicial sector, the Bank
will gradually put in place a set of activities including training for judges
and trainers, and the preparation of learning materials and interactive tools.
In both the Georgian and the Kyrgyz projects, the Bank is teaming up with the
International Development Law Organization (IDLO), a leading specialist in the
provision of judicial reform technical assistance.
The initiative is being funded by the EBRD multi-donor Early Transition
Countries Fund.
Going forward, the Bank is determined to play a more active role in the
judicial reforms of the Early Transition Countries. Reflecting this
orientation, a seminar on “Making Courts More Efficient” took place today
during the Bank’s Annual Meeting in Belgrade. The panelists included
representatives of the Council of Europe, the Belgrade Judicial Training
Centre, the American Bar Association and IDLO. The panel highlighted the
importance of assessing judiciaries against international standards of best
practice and of providing long-term sustainable technical assistance to
judicial reforms.
Judges in the Early Transition Countries are ill-equipped to satisfy the needs
of investors, said Michel Nussbaumer, head of the EBRD legal transition team.
Our assistance will increase their technical skills in the commercial law
sector, and as an added bonus we expect to see an effect on related concerns
such as judicial ethics and integrity, he added.
The seminar was followed by the launch of the 2005 issue of the EBRD’s legal
journal Law in Transition, focusing on courts and judges, which was sponsored
by Taipei China.
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