Legal empowerment practitioner training

Location: Intercontinental Hotel, Amman, Jordan

The 2014 WANA Forum focused on the important role the legal empowerment of the poor can play in combating poverty. Today, over 4 billion people in the world – over half the world’s population – are excluded from the mechanisms that can help them gain access to the rule of law. Most of these people belong to the most vulnerable segments of the population, including women, children and minority groups.

The situation is especially pronounced for countries from the WANA region, where weak GDP growth, high inflation and low employment rates have served to increase the number of people living below the poverty line in the last three years.

Recognising that – although necessary – discussion and idea generation rarely translates into practical skills accumulation, for the first time in its history, the 2014 WANA Forum included a two-day practical training for around 45 civil society participants covering mediation, paralegalism, legal aid, advocacy and strategic litigation. Designed to be productive, thought-provoking and engaging, the sessions were well-received by all participants who felt it would allow them to put into practice the information and knowledge they gained during the two-day Forum that followed.