Conferences and Workshops

The United Nations Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor (Legal Empowerment): National Consultation Process (November 2006)

Legal Empowerment selected ILI-ACLE to partner with it in undertaking a national consultation process on the current situation and developments of the rule of law in Uganda. Legal Empowerment is a United Nations Commission co-chaired by Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State, and Hernando de Soto, Peruvian economist and founder of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy. It is the first global initiative to focus specifically on the link between exclusion, poverty and law, and led by policymakers and practitioners from around the world.

The Ugandan national process began with the commissioning of four Working Papers in the key areas the Commission is addressing: The Administration of Justice and the Rule of Law, Property Rights, Labour Rights and Entrepreneurship. These formed the basis of focus group discussions held at ILI-ACLE and culminated in a national conference from 24- 25 November, 2006 that discussed the way forward to creating an enabling environment for legal empowerment in Uganda as a means to the eradication of poverty. Legal Empowerment Commissioner, Ms. Hilde Johnson, former minister for International Development in Norway and currently Special Advisor to the President of the African Development Bank, attended the conference.

National Workshop on Competitiveness: Towards a National Competitive Agenda (2006)

In August 2006, ILI-ACLE participated in the National workshop on Competitiveness where discussions were held on the role of competitiveness as a primary driver for Uganda's further economic growth. The participants worked to define and agree on the ways that Uganda's manufacturing, agriculture, tourism and services sectors would move forward to develop and incorporate competitiveness initiatives into the proposed national competitiveness framework. The keynote speaker was the former Irish Prime Minister, Garet Fitzgerald.

First Meeting of Informal Board of Experts – Interpol (2006)

The meeting, held in August 2006, was convened to set up an Informal Board of Experts with the aim of supporting Interpol in its activities overseeing bioterrorism policies. This Board comprises 17 professionals drawn from across the globe and include experts from law enforcement, government, international organisations, the private sector, academia among others, and includes the Executive Director of ILI-ACLE. The Board's role is mainly strategic, identifying and alerting Interpol to opportunities and potential partnerships to enhance its programme, with the primary goal of supporting Interpol further develop its strategic priorities for the Bioterrorism Prevention Programme.

International Lawyers and Stakeholders Forum (2006)

ILI-ACLE collaborated with the Uganda Law Society and Capital Law Partners, a law firm in Kampala, to hold a two-day forum in March 2006. Focusing on Law and Development, and promoting continuing legal education through the exchange of knowledge between legal practitioners in the region and leading international experts, the forum highlighted various undeveloped areas of legal practice within the region. The topics addressed included the relevance and implications of the East African Customs Union; a case study in medical malpractice; contemporary labour issues; the role of continuing education in development; and international law and dispute resolution.

Conference on the Global Bargain for Biosecurity and Health (2005)

The ILI-ACLE in cooperation with the International Consortium on Law and Strategic Security held a conference on the Global Bargain for Biosecurity and Health. The Conference – the first of its kind in East Africa – was held in Kampala, from 28 September – 1 October, 2005. The conference explored the policy implications of preventing bio-weaponization, whether by States, terrorists, or criminals given the threat of bio-weapons to inflict catastrophic devastation and an optimal way to cause mass casualties. Delegates to the conference came from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, the United States, Canada, Russia, Georgia, Sweden and South Africa. In attendance also were senior officials from Interpol, the Commission of the African Union and the UN Committee Established Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1540. The Conference focused on the establishment of a legal framework to prevent bioproliferation.

Joint WTO and World Bank Regional Workshop on Procurement Reforms and Transparency in Public Procurement for Anglophone African Countries (2003)

ILI-ACLE partnered with the World Bank and World Trade Organisation, in cooperation with the African Development Bank and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to conduct a regional workshop for 22 Anglophone African countries in the area of procurement reform and transparency in public procurement. The workshop was designed to provide a forum for both trade and procurement experts to exchange information on multilateral, regional and national activities and initiatives, including the WTO work on transparency in government procurement, and to share experiences in the design and implementation of procurement reforms. The workshop was held in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in January 2003.

COMESA Regional Conference on Competition Law and Policy (2001)

In November 2001, the ILI-ACLE organized this conference in conjunction with COMESA and UNCTAD for policymakers and economic or legal practitioners from both the public and private sectors. The intention of the conference was to address the importance of competition, examining competition policy in relation to regional integration and globalization.

Distance Learning

Judicial Reform: Alternative Dispute Resolution to Improve Access to Justice: A Distance Learning Program for Nigeria and Ghana (January - February, 2005)

ILI-ACLE partnered with the Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank, the World Bank Institute (in partnership with the Public Sector Governance Unit) to host a distance learning course to share country experiences on how to improve access to justice through the implementation and/or improvement of ADR systems. The course was a follow up of the 2003 distance learning course also implemented by the ILI-Uganda and the World Bank on improving ADR effectiveness in six African countries.

Legal and Judicial Reform for Improving Governance in Africa: A Distance Learning Programme (2003)

ILI-ACLE partnered with the World Bank Institute in Washington, D.C. to conduct a six-week distance learning programme on legal and judicial reform in Africa. The programme linked Washington with six African nations including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia and Nigeria through the latest video-conferencing technologies to explore the most pressing needs relating to good governance and the rule of law. The objective of the programme was to contribute to the improvement of a more impartial, independent, accountable and effective judiciary that is able to control corruption and improve governance in Africa.

Afro-Latin Seminar on International Trade Law and Policy: A Distance Learning Programme (2003)

ILI-ACLE partnered with the Office of Legal Vice-Presidency, World Bank, and the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, Brazil to conduct a state-of-the-art distance learning tele-video conference programme in international trade law and policy. The programme linked participants in Kampala with participants and faculty in Washington, Vienna, Paris, and Sao Paulo to discuss regional issues in Africa and Latin America within the WTO multilateral framework. Funding was provided by the World Bank.