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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Pacific Islands Tackle Shortage of Law Drafters

20 June 2007

A shortage of attorneys who specialize in drafting laws has put a strain on law- making in the South Pacific islands.

Governments in the region say they are struggling to attract and retain the number of specialist lawyers needed to write new laws that address areas like health care, education, public sector reform, anti-terrorism, money laundering, trade and integration.

“Currently none of our islands has adequate human and other resources to draft and enact the large volume and complex laws required for a modern society and economy,” said Tony Lawson, Legal Drafter at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

On 26-28 June 2007, the Commonwealth Secretariat in partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Office of New Zealand Parliamentary Counsel and the University of South Pacific will hold the first ever Pacific Islands Legal Drafters Forum in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

The forum which will bring together lawyers from 9 Pacific islands aims to improve the drafting skills of participants and strengthen the network of drafters in the region. Participants will also discuss other initiatives to strengthen legislative capacity in the region.

“This limited capacity in legislative drafting is an acute problem not just for the Pacific Islands but for developing countries across the Commonwealth,” Katalaina Sapolu, Head of the Justice Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat said.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has been working with other regions to address the problem. In 2006 the organization held a three-month course for legislative drafters in Africa and another in the Commonwealth Caribbean in January of this year.

“It doesn’t matter how good government policies are, without high quality legislation that give effect to those policies, the population will not reap the benefits of good policies,” Ms. Sapolu said.

Commonwealth law ministers have mandated the Secretariat to implement programmes that build the capacity of legislative drafters of member states.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is an association of 53 independent states working together in the common interest of their citizens for development, democracy and peace.

For media enquiries please contact Yvonne Chin, Communications Officer on +44 (0) 7730-900-020 or +678-570857085 or via e-mail: y.chin@commonwealth.int

 

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ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
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