Programs & Events
Cambodia Develops a “Model Courthouse Program” with US Support
Kandal Province
January 15, 2007
Planning recently began for the pilot case management system and other related court administration procedures for the US-supported "Model Courthouse Program" in Kandal province. USAID/Cambodia Mission Director Erin Soto, Cambodian Minister of Justice H.E. Ang Vong Vathana, and representatives of East West Management Institute (EWMI) met with the President of Kandal Courthouse Khieu Sameth and courthouse officials on January 15, 2007 for the initial planning session. The meeting participants discussed expected results, and Kandal Courthouse personnel were assigned to work closely with USAID and EWMI in building the program. If the pilot program proves successful, it will provide a model that can be introduced in other courthouses around the country.
The framework for this program was established with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Cambodian Ministry of Justice and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on November 17, 2006. (Click here for related story on the MOU signing ceremony.) The assistance to the Ministry of Justice is being funded by USAID through its implementing partner East West Management Institute (EWMI), in close coordination with the Kandal Provincial Court, the AusAID-sponsored Cambodia Criminal Justice Assistance Project, and other donors. The assistance is aimed at improving the court’s capabilities and enhancing the quality of court services in the following areas: case filing and tracking, access to legal resources, juvenile justice, public access to information, and legal aid.
