Legal Empowerment- Observations

It's hard to believe that my three months in Serbia will be behind me in only a few days. The projects are, of course, being completed. Marlene and I are in the midst of completing the condensed version of the Legal Empowerment (LE) database as well as outlining certain strategies that can be adopted in the Serbian context. While creating the condensed version of the database, we found it difficult to find purely LE initiatives (except for LEAD in Indonesia) given that LE and its particular pillars are newly introduced to the international community. Moreover the complexity of the pillars make it very difficult to have an all-encompassing project. Rather most countries, whether in acknowledgement of the pillars or not, have the tenets of the LE pillars as project objectives. Some countries have opted to focus more on one or two pillars while others have projects that cover all the pillars. This shows the need to concentrate on the context in which the pillars are being implanted. It is with this thought that Marlene and I, based on the information we researched for the past few months, formulated conclusions, lessons learned and strategies for Serbia.



Judicial Training Manual- Feedback

The Judicial Training manual is now updated. I was happy to have tripled the size of the knowledge map which at the beginning of the project seemed less than impressive. What was surprising was the enthusiasm of my supervisor. Perhaps I'm too used to the Canadian work culture where work is usually commended by a mere "well done" or "I was happy with your efforts...." or other such variations, but in Serbia even the slightest productivity seems to bring praises, so when I submitted the new layout of the knowledge map, my supervisor's response was more than enthusiastic. Knowing that the manual is soon to be shared with more than just the UNDP office in Serbia and its resources will be used by legal professionals from across the Balkans is a very pleasant feeling.



Changing Perceptions

Speaking of pleasant experiences, the past three months in Belgrade...and the Balkans in general have definitely been an eye-opening adventure. While the tensions are clear, what has been overwhelming is the sense that Serbians are very eager to put the past behind them and to change what they call misconceptions about their country and its people. International opinion of the region is valued and our colleagues and locals in general have been very forthcoming with information about Serbia, its current situation, its past glories and where they believe the country is going, though in the latter category there are very mixed feelings. The new law that allows more free travel to Serbians (no visa requirements) to EU countries has also been a very welcomed change. Though there is still some doubt on whether the legislation will actually in practice follow through with its promises, there is no doubt that travelling abroad with less restrictions will be beneficial. Serbians will be better able to observe the legal and political practices of other states, and assess whether certain pillars are transferable.



Living in and learning about a different culture and system will be itself a rewarding experience.



I am sure the ILP fellows this year will agree with the above statement. Looking forward to hearing more about your times abroad back in Canada this fall.



Dobar Dan (good day) from Belgrade!