News and Events

Regional Conference on Legal Empowerment for Women and Disadvantaged Groups

The two-day regional conference held on December 13-14, 2007 at ADB headquarters in Manila marked the completion of a three-country technical assistance project on Legal Empowerment for Women and Disadvantaged Groups which Mr. Francesco Tornieri, Social Development Specialist (GAD), RSGS/RSDD manages in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

The conference was opened by Mr. Jeremy Hovland, General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel. The program [ PDF: 54kb | 4 pages ] featured presentations and panel sessions in which participants [ PDF: 63kb | 2 pages ] representing the ADB-Asia Foundation project team and their partners from Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan, government officials and civil society leaders, and specialists in legal empowerment from other regions and donor agencies discussed issues and experience in legal empowerment and future opportunities. Mr. Robert J. Dobias, Director, RSGS/RSDD, closed the proceedings.

At the end of the workshop, participants will have:

• Achieved an enhanced understanding of legal empowerment, regional and international practice of in  legal empowerment, and challenges and opportunities in designing and implementing legal empowerment programs
• Identified options for incorporation of legal empowerment interventions in ADB and other development partner programs

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Develop recommendations for incorporating legal empowerment for incorporating legal empowerment components within ADB loans and projects.

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Participation is by invitation only. Government officials and civil society representatives from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan and international legal experts.

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from left to right: Kim McQuay, Country Representative, The Asia Foundation (Bangladesh); Hamid Sharif, Assistant General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, ADB; Debra Ladner, Deputy Director of Law Programs, The Asia Foundation; and Adam Stapleton, Visiting Professor, Center for International Human Rights, Northwestern, University School of Law		from left to right: Francesco Tornieri, Social Development Specialist (GAD), ADB; Steven Rood, Country Representative, The Asia Foundation (Philippines); Matthew Nelson, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; and Khadija Zaheer, Research Coordinator, WEMC (Women's Empowerment in Muslim Context), Pakistan.
Participants networking during the coffee break

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ADB's Regional Technical Assistance for Legal Empowerment for Woman and Disadvantaged Groups reviewed experiences in legal empowerment in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan. It tested legal empowerment strategies to increase access to basic social services and productive resources by women and disadvantaged groups and developed recommendations for incorporating legal empowerment components within ADB loans. A significant component of RETA was the integration of legal empowerment initiatives in development projects supported by ADB and other development agencies.

The pilot initiatives were undertaken in

• Indonesia: Neighborhood Upgrading and Shelter Sector Project
• Pakistan: Sindh Devolved Social Services Project
• Bangladesh: Secondary Small Scale Water Resources Development Sector Project 2.

The pilot project experience also aided the development of two practical handbooks:

• Manual of Good Practice for Integrating Legal Empowerment Components in ADB Operations
• Operating Manual for NGOs Involved in Legal Empowerment Initiatives.