25 May, 2009: European Launch Event of the Report of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor

On Monday May 25^th, the world’s Legal Capital – The Hague – played host to the European Launch of the report of the Commission on Legal Empowerment Poor, Making the Law Work for Everyone.

Madeleine K. Albright (former US Secretary of State and co-chair of the Commission) and Commissioner Lloyd Axworthy (former Canadian Foreign Minister), as well as UN Assistant Secretary General Mr Olav Kjørven (Director Bureau of Development Policy, UNDP) delivered short remarks about the report and the importance of legal empowerment to the everyday lives of the poor in developing countries.

In a subsequent conversation between Secretary Albright and Dr Axworthy – which was moderated by Fiona Campbell, a journalist of Radio Netherlands Worldwide – the discussion was broadened to the political and social prerequisites for legal empowerment. Please find links to the remarks and conversation here: http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/globaldevelopment/090527-albright-poverty

The public launch event was part of a wider one-day policy seminar about the report that featured presentations and debates on topics ranging from guaranteeing access to justice, the gender divide in legal empowerment and the role of NGO’s in the legal empowerment agenda.

The report which was first released in New York on June 3, 2008 is the result of a study commissioned by UNDP. The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor was chaired by Secretary Albright and Dr Hernando de Soto.

The public launch event of the report on Legal Empowerment of the Poor was organised by the Hague Academic Coalition, in partnership with HiiL, ISS, TISCO, UNDP and the Center for International Legal Cooperation.

More information about the results of this one day seminar will be available soon on this website.