 |
| Mary Greer, Senior Technical Advisor of Criminal Law for ABA ROLI; and Sarah Kerwegi, ABA ROLI Program Director of Ethiopia are at the Peace and Security Department of the African Union Commission in Ethiopia. |
The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) recently commenced a partnership with the African Union (AU), based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to provide delegates and staff of the AU with concrete tools and techniques to mobilize development and human rights policies in countries across Africa. Funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and International Affairs (INL), the program will primarily deliver trainings to AU staff on various topics, including legal drafting, program management courses, and monitoring and evaluation, in pursuit of strong rule of law systems in African nations.
As the continental body of Africa with 55-member states, the AU strives to unite African nations, promote cooperation and development continentally, and to safeguard sovereignty of nations and counteract acts of colonialism. Thus, through a months-long drafting process, the final letter of agreement between ABA ROLI and the AU will be signed within the next month. This is a pioneering program for ABA ROLI as we forge a partnership with a multi-national organization with impact beyond the borders of a single country. Additionally, this partnership will diversify ROLI’s traditional approach of working with a specific national government or segment of civil society.
These trainings aim to promote capacity building for change makers working within their own governments and communities. After completing trainings, participants are expected to disseminate and implement new skills in order to elevate and strengthen the rule of law in their own countries. ABA ROLI seeks to elevate the local processes of the integral national systems, to be more effective and sturdy; creating a strong, reliable foundation for judicial protection and seamless implementation of treaties and other agreements.
With appreciation for the breadth of the program and funding from INL, the foundation for the trainings was carefully researched and assessed to best suit the needs of all nations involved. Mary Greer, Senior Technical Advisor of Criminal Law for ABA ROLI’s Research, Evaluation, and Learning Department; and Sarah Kerwegi, ABA ROLI Program Director of Ethiopia, traveled to Addis Ababa this past spring to conduct the baseline assessment for the partnership program, and determine the training needs and the program management and M&E capacity of AU staff. Greer and Kerwegi collaborated with and interviewed various AU staff members to collect information before issuing the official baseline assessment.
 |
| The partnership between ABA ROLI and the AU will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Together, the entities will provide training and ongoing mentoring to meet critical needs that will protect the rule of law not only in Ethiopia, but also across Africa. |
As a two-year program with eight trainings, the first training on legal drafting took lace from July 29, 2019 to August 2, 2019 in Addis Ababa. Tiffany M. Williams, an accredited legal professor with extensive teaching and legal experience, curated the curriculum and led the legal drafting training.
 |
| Tiffany M. Williams, an accredited legal professor, led the first training in Addis Ababa. This training was one of eight that will focus on legal drafting, program management courses, and monitoring and evaluation, among others. |
 |
| Participants during the African Union Commission Symposium. |
 |
| Tiffany M. Williams listens in on a small group session during the training sessions that took place from July 29 to August 2, 2019. |
Learn more about ABA ROLI’s work in Africa.
Comments
Post a Comment