Commonwealth Caribbean lawyers to benefit from course on legislative drafting

A three-month course for legislative drafters in Commonwealth Caribbean countries will be held in Georgetown, Guyana, from 15 January to 6 April 2007.
 
This training programme, which is funded by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, has been designed for lawyers serving as legislative drafters and those interested in this field of law. It is co-organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the University of Guyana.
 
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith said the strengthening of the legislative drafting offices in the Caribbean is very crucial to the implementation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
 
"This requires a review of national legislation in many areas; enactment of national laws; development and implementation of procedural and regulatory guidelines; putting in place modern public service legislative measures; and introducing trade-related legislation," stated Mr Smith.
 
"Legislative drafters are in great demand but are also in short supply in the region. Therefore it is very important that these skills be developed and retained in the Caribbean. The Commonwealth Secretariat is aiming to do this by making this 3-month course in Legislative Drafting available in the Caribbean over a five-year period."
 
Dr Joan Imhoff-Nwasike, Adviser (Caribbean) in the Secretariat's Governance and Institutional Development Division, added that the retention and shortage of legislative drafters has had a major impact on member countries which require their services in regulatory and public sector reform, economic liberalisation and globalisation.
 
This training programme will provide an in-depth analysis of the principles underlying legislative drafting and a thorough introduction to sound drafting practice. It will focus on the roles and responsibilities of the legislative counsel; types, hierarchy and structure of legislative instruments; and using information technology in drafting.
 
At the end of the programme participants are expected to be competent in the basic essentials of legislative drafting and empowered to produce clear, effective and implementable legislation and directives to comply with the requirements of their individual national constitutions.

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