Sri Lanka: CLDP Hosts the Annual Sri Lankan National Selection Rounds for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
On September 27, CLDP, in partnership with the Moot Court Bench, held the annual Sri Lankan National Selection Rounds for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Prior to the competition, on September 25-26, CLDP held a 2-day training for the teams, focused on problem analysis and oral argument.
Afghanistan: CLDP Sponsors a National Vis Moot Training
On October 1-3, CLDP, in coordination with the Afghanistan Vis Alumni Network (AVAN), and the Afghanistan Center for Commercial Dispute Resolution (ACDR), sponsored a virtual training on oral advocacy followed by a two-day virtual national competition for the nine Afghan teams participating in the Willem C. Vis Moot Program. The winner overall of the Afghanistan national Vis Moot competition was Herat University due to the team’s superior skills in oral and written advocacy.
Tunisia – Webinar on Global Artisan Brands’ Response to COVID-19
On May 18, CLDP hosted a webinar in partnership with By hand Consulting to increase the export preparedness of artisans in Tunisia. The presentation focused on how the U.S. market for global handmade products has been impacted by COVID-19. This webinar will help local artisans understand changes in demand of U.S. businesses that are within their target markets and highlight brands that are innovating and excelling despite market challenges.
Georgia: CLDP Launches Webinar Series on Intellectual Property
CLDP, in cooperation with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the USPTO Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA), launched a series of capacity building trainings on intellectual property to be delivered to the staff of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia ‘Sakpatenti’ in fall 2020. Topics for the training series include trade secret protection, telework practices and procedures, and overviews of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The training series includes virtual discussion sessions on each topic as well as related digitally recorded training videos for asynchronous learning.
Nepal: CLDP Conducts Webinar on Public Private Partnerships
On September 17, CLDP, in collaboration with the Nepal Renewable Energy Program (NREP), conducted a webinar on public-private partnerships (PPPs) for provincial Nepali government officials. Recent Nepali legislation has allowed local and regional authorities to procure infrastructure projects under a PPP model. Nepal is working to increase domestic and foreign investment at the sub-national level for infrastructure, with a focus on the energy sector.
Iraq: CLDP Hosts Virtual Reunion with Iraq Vis Moot Association
On August 28, CLDP, in partnership with Iraq's Vis Moot Association and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR), hosted a virtual reunion with over 40 members of the National Vis Moot Association of Iraq. Created in 2018, the Association consists of past participants of CLDP's Vis Moot Program, which aims to cultivate a network of legal experts in international commercial arbitration.
As Iraq gets closer to the passage of the........ New York Convention, it will need a cadre of legal professionals proficient in international commercial arbitration. Through the Vis Moot, CLDP has helped Iraq create a community of legal professionals versed in dispute resolution. Students who completed the program have moved on to work for the Iraqi government, U.S. law firms and companies working in Iraq, and continued their higher education in arbitration. The reunion was a celebratory virtual event that highlighted the key successes of individuals and provided guiding notes to the incoming 2020-2021 Iraq Vis Moot Class.
Power Africa Fellows Week
On August 3-7, CLDP in partnership with the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, the U.S. Agency for International Development organized a week-long virtual delegation for the Power Africa Fellows. The Power Africa Fellows program is an annual fellowship that welcomes highly qualified African energy lawyers at U.S. law firms to develop world-class skills and experience in energy transactions to be transferred back to the Fellows’ home law firms and colleagues.
Afghanistan, Belarus, Moldova, and Sri Lanka: WTO and U.S. Trade Law and Policy Course and Follow-Up Virtual Workshop
CLDP sponsored the participation of law students and young professionals from Afghanistan, Belarus, Moldova, and Sri Lanka in an American University Washington College of Law online certificate course on WTO and U.S. Trade Law and Policy. The course will took place over five days online and covered topics aimed at increasing understanding of the history and development of the WTO and its agreements and of existing U.S. trade laws and trade policy. Afterwards, CLDP facilitated an interactive set of discussions with the participants and U.S. trade experts to practically apply what they learned from the course in their own respective domestic settings. The follow-up workshop included simulated negotiations that took place on the sideline of a WTO committee meeting to resolve a set of moot customs valuation concerns developed by CLDP with input from relevant trade experts. The hands-on approach helped to ensure that the lessons learned from the program were tangible and relevant to the students and their countries. For the students from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, the program also played a role in preparing a group of students to successfully take part in next year’s John H. Jackson WTO Moot competition, further demonstrating the benefits, importance, and challenges of the WTO to the participants.
CLDP in Action
From September 4 to October 2, CLDP, in cooperation with the Center for International Legal Education (CILE) of the University of Pittsburgh College of Law, hosted a Virtual Vis Moot Boot Camp for the incoming 2020-2021 CLDP sponsored teams who will compete in the 28th Annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Vis Moot).
Upcoming Programs
From September 2020 through January 2021, CLDP will provide virtual assistance to teams participating in CLDP's 11th Annual Middle East Vis International Commercial Arbitration Pre-Moot...
CLDP coaches will be working with the 2 Maldivian Vis Moot teams on written advocacy.
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.