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| UNODC is cosponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - UNAIDS |
| | | UNODC and Bridges Across Borders cooperate to develop the Community Legal Education Program at the National University of Laos Faculty of Law and Political Science.
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| The memorandum was signed in presence of Mr. Kiettisack (Vice-Minister of Justice), Ms. Anne Kullman (1st Secretary Embassy of Sweden), Mr. Bruce Lasky (Co-founder and Director, BAB), Mr. Erik Haggqvist (CTA, FLP), Mr. Khamsone ( Dean, FLP), Mr. Viengvilay (Deputy Director, CLE Program), Mr. Leik Boonwaat ( Representative, UNODC), Ms Pascale Claren (Project Coordinator, UNODC), Mr. Richard Philippart (Governance, Human Security, Rule of Law Advisor, UNODC). |
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Legal awareness will be raised among a series of various topics and with specifics related to human trafficking, fostering as such prevention of human trafficking - an issue of high concern in the Lao PDR. Regional economic disparities, limited domestic opportunities and media influence are the main causes for migration in the Lao PDR. Lack of familiarity with customs, laws and practices can make people, who seek for a better future, vulnerable to exploitation and expose them to the risk of being trafficked by unscrupulous employers or others they would trust. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 450,000 people are trafficked annually within the Greater Mekong Region.
The CLE Program supported by BAB in cooperation with UNODC aims to raise the legal awareness among the
public throughout the Lao PDR through community teachings, strengthen and expand the CLE Program at the Faculty through progressive clinical legal education methodologies and extend the CLE Program, based in Vientiane, to Luang Prabang and Savannaketh through outreach activities. In addition, a Southeast Asia network between universities, organizations and law professionals will strengthen international cooperation.
The Lao Government is committed to fight human trafficking and since October 2006, the Ministry of Justice and UNODC
, have been implementing Project R76
Strengthening of the Legal and Law Enforcement Institutions to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking to enhance the capacity in the Lao PDR of the criminal justice institutions.
UNODC project R76 stresses the importance to develop the CLE program of the FLP and welcomes the opportunity to cooperate in BAB's activities in Laos. BAB, together with the Swedish International Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has been successfully engaged in Community Legal Education and Legal Capacity in Laos since 2007 through a direct collaboration with the FLP. As a matter of fact, SIDA has been since 2000 the initial support to develop the Laos Faculty of Law and Political Science and to improve the quality of the legal education in the Lao PDR.
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