Vietnam

JUDGE Project
JES has been asked by Agriteam Ltd. to assist in the development of the JUDGE project legal dissemination component of their project. Supported activities target women, ethnic minorities and the poor in areas where CIDA’s rural development projects are already active. They focus on issues related to legal access, gender-based violence and land-use rights.

Purpose
To support the capacity development of legal training institutions and associated legal structures so that legal rights of Vietnamese citizens can be respected, promoted and protected in a more efficient, effective and equitable manner.

Challenge
Although Vietnam’s doi moi reforms have been broadly successful in fostering economic growth and social liberalization, the justice sector has not kept pace with these changes.  If Vietnam is to successfully transition to a stable market economy and rule-of-law-based state, then the justice sector—in particular the court system—will need to significantly increase its effectiveness and efficiency.

Approach
Agriteam adopted a collaborative and participatory approach to working with its partners within the government and select civil society organizations (CSOs) to build their capacity to identify goals and achieve them.

"Voices on Justice" Broadcast Series
Coinciding with the Canadian International Development Agency’s International Development Week 2010, the Justice Education Society is launching a broadcast series, “Voices on Justice,” based on its good governance and institution-building projects abroad.

The first broadcast of this series features an interview with Chief Judge Hong of the Vinh Long Province on the situation of public legal education in Vietnam (the interview has been edited and only includes the interpreter’s voice).

  Frances Gordon, JUDGE Project Country Director (left) and interpreter Nguyen Thi Thu Hang (right) interviewing Chief Judge Hong (centre).