PRESS RELEASE

June 29, 2006

U.S. Embassy Funds Study on Law Making in Vietnam

The U.S. Embassy-Hanoi is providing a US$19,640 grant for the Center for Research and Consultation on Policy, Law and Development (PLD) to implement the project “Legislative drafting process assessment in Vietnam – real situations and solutions.”  U.S. Ambassador Michael W. Marine and a representative of PLD signed the grant agreement on June 29 in Hanoi.

The goal of this 10-month project is to improve the quality of legislative drafting, the legal reform processes, and the rule of the law.  The main target groups of the project are policy and law-markers and government officials involved in the development of law and policy, representatives from other central-level agencies, academics, civil society organizations and others interested in legal and judicial reform.

The Center for Research and Consultation on Policy, Law and Development (PLD) is a non-profit and non-governmental organization researching government policy, law, civil society and community development.

Under the project, PLD and its partners will conduct a study on the process of law-making in Vietnam, identifying its strong and weak points, and evaluating the possibility of implementing improvements.  After the study, PLD will hold a workshop on Vietnam’s law-making process: shortcomings and solutions for the research team to present the study’s reports and propose recommendations for amendments to the current laws.  Following the workshop, the research team will complete the reports and synthesize it into a scientific publication that will consist of an evaluation of existing law implementation in Vietnam, recommendations for improvement, and plans for adjustment, and possible additions to the frames for making legal documents.  The publication will be distributed to National Assembly deputies, law-makers, policy-makers, representatives at the central and local levels, academics, and mass organizations.

PLD was awarded the grant by the U.S. Embassy through an open selection process.

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