Northern Triangle: CLDP Conducts Workshop on Public Consultation
On March 18-19, in collaboration with ITA, CBP, and USDA, CLDP conducted a trade facilitation workshop on best practices in public consultation for more than 60 government officials and private sector representatives in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Honduran government participants included representatives from Customs, the Ministry of Economic Development, the National Agri-Food Health and Safety Service, and the Health Regulation Agency. They were joined by their counterparts from Guatemalan and Salvadoran Customs as well as El Salvador’s Ministry of Economy, Office of Regulatory Improvement, and Institute of Access to Public Information. From the Honduran private sector, the Honduran Council on Private Enterprise, American Chamber of Commerce in Honduras, and the National Federation of Customs Agents participated. After opening remarks from Honduran Vice President Maria Antonia Rivera and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Heide B. Fulton, CLDP experts presented on topics including promoting competitiveness through good regulatory practice, providing adequate notice of and meaningful opportunity to comment on proposed regulations, and rulemaking from a government agency’s perspective. Representatives from the governments of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala as well as the Honduran private sector each had an opportunity to present their perspective and share their experience, and the workshop concluded with an interactive discussion of upcoming regulations and plans to incorporate the private sector’s perspective by conducting transparent public consultation. Enhanced public consultation in Central America will increase the quality of regulation and ultimately facilitate domestic commerce, attract foreign direct investment, and promote foreign trade, which are all key objectives of CLDP and ITA’s Customs, Border Management, and Supply Chain program in the region.
Saudi Arabia: CLDP Starts ADR Course for Saudi Women Mediators and Arbitrators
On October 17-18, CLDP, in cooperation with the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA), initiated an SCCA-sanctioned alternative dispute resolution (ADR) training course for future female commercial mediation and arbitration lawyers. The ADR course is part of SCCA’s goal to certify up to 60 female mediators and arbitrators to manage cases brought to the SCCA in the coming two years. The ADR Course was envisioned after the successful implementation of a pilot women’s workshop on “Negotiations and Mediation” that was conducted by CLDP in December of 2017. The two-day program engaged participants in a series of intensive ADR simulations guided by an expert from UNCITRAL alongside the region’s top Arab female ADR specialists.
Sri Lanka: Workshop on Independent Power Producers (IPP) Procurement Strategy
On November 14-15, CLDP hosted a workshop on Independent Power Producers (IPP) Procurement Strategy. The workshop was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), and the National Agency for Public-Private Partnerships. The workshop built off a previous study tour to South Africa where participants from Sri Lanka expressed interest in further discussion on how to improve the procurement and management of IPPs in Sri Lanka. The workshop presented the South Africa experience with creating an IPP Office, highlighting their successes and lessons learned with their renewable energy procurement program. The workshop included speakers from the South Africa Department of Energy’s IPP Office, South Africa’s public utility company and project finance advisors.
Sec. Ross visits children of OGC on Bring Your Kid to Work Day
On April 26, U.S. Deptartment of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, General Counsel Peter Davidson and CLDP Chief Counsel Steve Gardner visited with children of Office of the General Counsel (OGC) employees on Bring Your Kid to Work Day in the department's library.
Saudi Arabia: CLDP Organizes Consultations on Implementing New Bankruptcy Law
From April 16-20, a delegation of 16 judges and government officials from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), headed by the Deputy Minister of Justice, participated in consultations on developing a bankruptcy system in KSA and improving the transparency and efficiency of its commercial courts.
4 Universities from Bosnia-Herzegovina Participate in 25th Vis Moot and Advance to Round of 16
On March 21-30, CLDP led teams from 4 BiH Universities: University of Sarajevo, University of Zenica, University of Tuzla, and University of Banja Luka to participate in the 25th Vis Moot in Vienna, Austria, where students from the University of Zenica Faculty of Law made history this year by being the first team from the Balkans to advance to the Round of 16.
CLDP in Action
On August 5-8, 2019, CLDP supported the participation of a delegate from the State Service of Intellectual Property and Innovation, Krygyz Republic, and the Kazakh Patent Agency in a Trademarks IP Office Administration training, hosted by the USPTO in Alexandria, Virginia.
Upcoming Programs
CLDP, in coordination with the U.S. judges, will collaborate with the Ukrainian judiciary to implement a three-day workshop on the Main Trends in the Adjudication of Corporate Disputes by the...
CLDP's mission is to improve the legal environment for doing business in developing and transitional countries around the globe and thereby foster greater political stability and economic opportunity for local entrepreneurs and U.S. companies alike.