Eng - UNDP in Tajikistan

DEVELOPMENT PARTNER PROFILE
NGO
American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI)
Contact: Ms. Marit Rasmussen
Country Director
Tel: 221-15-02 Fax: 224-15-05
E-mail: mrasmussen@elcat.kg
Website: www.abanet.org
Organization Profile
The Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. The Rule of Law Initiative was created in
1990 as the Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI) and opened its first overseas office in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1991. The ABA
launched sister initiatives in Asia in 1998, and in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean in 2000. In 2003, the ABA launched its Middle
East program. These regional programs were recently consolidated into a single entity now known as the ABA Rule of Law Initiative. The
Rule of Law Initiative promotes legal reform efforts in over 40 countries around the world in such fields as anti-corruption, criminal law
reform, gender equity, human rights/conflict mitigation, legal education reform, judicial reform and legal profession reform.
Past and Current Programmes
Over the past few years ABA/ROLI in Tajikistan has been promoting a number of legal education initiatives for youth, legal professionals,
and local government officials. The initiatives have been aimed at increasing the opportunities for law students to receive practical education
and improving their analytical and legal skills, increasing availability of legal information to needy citizens, equipping local governments'
employees with legal skills, and developing the professional skills of lawyers. Currently ABA/ROLI is involved in activities in the area of
criminal law reform. The programs aim to advance criminal law and procedure reform, in particular support for drafting of a new Criminal
Procedure Code, the development of a manual for defense attorneys, and technical support for implementation of the national action plan on
combating human trafficking. Related activities include establishment of legal research centers for advocates through free access to the legal
database, development of trial advocacy skills courses for law students at the Tajik State National University's faculty of law, as well as
development of law courses at the Tajik Islamic Institute.
Future Programming Direction
ABA/ROLI plans to continue providing technical assistance and support for reform in the criminal justice sector. Follow-up initiatives will
focus on improving the quality of attorneys' legal services, providing continuing education for advocates and legal professionals generally,
improving the understanding of new developments regarding the Criminal Procedure Code both among legal professionals and the general
public.
Source: Aid Coordination and Project Monitoring System Database
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