From 16-20 March 2026, the JuSTICE Project, funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), continued its partnership with the Department of Enforcement of Judgments (DEJ) and the International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ) through a five-day mission in Vientiane Capital. Facilitated by UIHJ experts Mr Jos Uitdehaag and Ms Zlaty Mihailova, the programme combined a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) refresher with three days of hands-on support to help DEJ trainers finalise their courses and prepare for pilot delivery.
The mission marked a new step in a partnership with UIHJ that has supported the reform of enforcement of judgments in Lao PDR since 2024. Earlier cooperation supported the development of the Guidelines on the Enforcement of Judgments, followed in 2025 by a Training Needs Assessment and a ToT programme designed to build a pool of Lao trainers able to deliver practical, competency-based training for enforcement officers.
The 2025 ToT resulted in 25 trainer graduates and seven training courses covering key areas of enforcement practice. During the March refresher, trainers revisited these courses and worked on strengthening their content, learning objectives and methods of delivery. Particular attention was given to practical and interactive approaches, including case studies, exercises, group work and other adult-learning techniques, as well as to ensuring that training materials remain aligned with the Guidelines on the Enforcement of Judgments.
The second part of the week focused directly on preparing the next stage. Working in their training groups, participants reviewed their training plans and materials with the UIHJ experts, practised delivery approaches, presented their proposed courses and refined preparations for the upcoming pilot trainings. The process provided trainers with targeted feedback while encouraging exchange and coordination among enforcement officers from Vientiane Capital and the provinces.
This follow-up reflects the gradual shift of the UIHJ–DEJ partnership from developing tools and training capacity towards their practical application. The upcoming pilot trainings will allow Lao trainers to put the courses developed through the ToT into practice, gather feedback and further refine the materials for future use by DEJ, contributing to the longer-term institutionalisation of professional training on the enforcement of judgments in Lao PDR.
