On the afternoon of October 25, 2024, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Vientiane Capital, the Ministry of Justice organized a meeting to disseminate and summarize the outcomes of activities at the French National School for the Judiciary. These activities, held between September 11-15, 2023, focused on judicial professional training.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Ketsana Phommachan, Deputy Minister of Justice, and Mr. Douypok, Director of Agence Française de Développement (AFD) for Lao PDR. It brought together representatives from key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the National Institute of Justice, the Lao Bar Association, the Research and Training Institute of the People’s Supreme Court, and the Office of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor. A total of 31 participants (21 men and 10 women) attended the event.

The primary objective of the meeting was to summarize the results of the Lao delegation’s study tour on judicial professional training at the French National School for the Judiciary,The study tour, conducted from September 9 to 16, 2023, provided valuable insights into advanced judicial training methodologies and approaches, and aimed to facilitate the drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation between the French National School for the Judiciary and the JuSTICE project in Lao PDR.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Ketsana Phommachan expressed deep gratitude to the French government and Agence Française de Développement for their continued support, both financially and technically, in strengthening Lao PDR’s legal and justice sector. He emphasized the significance of this partnership in enhancing the effectiveness and professionalism of the country’s legal framework and judicial systems.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to advancing collaboration between Lao PDR and the French National School for the Judiciary, with a shared vision of improving legal education and fostering sustainable development in the justice sector. This initiative marks another milestone in the ongoing efforts to modernize and enhance the judicial system in Lao PDR.