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Workshop on Developing Legislative Drafting for Arab Parliaments
Beirut - Lebanon, 03/02/2003 - 06/02/2003.
Organized by: Organized in partnership with the Lebanese Parliament and the Association of Secretaries General of Arab Parliaments.

This workshop brought together legislative drafters, members of legislative and/or legal parliamentary committees, secretaries general of Arab parliaments as well as regional and international experts and researchers to review the current legislative processes, assess the capacities and skills of both parliamentarians and the parliamentary staff, and identify needs in terms of legislative capacity building.

The workshop, attended by close to 40 participants from 10 Arab countries in addition to France, Canada, and the UK, focused on the legislative role of parliament and aimed at launching a legislative drafting module for Arab parliaments, which would contribute to strengthening the legislative process and enhancing drafting skills through the development and use of tools and instruments adapted to the needs of Arab legislatures.

Publications:

Background Note [English] [Arabic]

Agenda [English] [Arabic]

Workshop Summary - Day One [Arabic]

Workshop Summary - Day Three [Arabic]

Workshop Summary - Day Two [Arabic]

Workshop Report and Recommendations [English] [Arabic]

List of Participants [English] [Arabic]

Towards Developing Legislative Drafting for Arab Parliaments [Arabic]
This book, published by UNDP – POGAR, includes the proceedings as well as the final report, of the Workshop on Developing Legislative Drafting for Arab Parliaments, held in Beirut in 2003. Some of the topics discussed are: legislative drafting for good governance; Legislative drafting in Arab countries; methodologies, means and sources for producing legislative texts. It also focuses on the status of legislative drafting in Egypt, and suggests ways to improve legislation and make them clearer. The book concludes with the discussion of the pillars for an efficient and democratic legislative process.

Opening Speech [Arabic]
Mr. Adel Abdellatif, Regional Coordinator for the Programme on Governance in the Arab Region.

Legislating for Good Governance: A Suggested Framework for Arab Countries [Arabic]
Presented by Mr. Ali Sawi, Professor and Expert in Parliamentary Affairs, Faculty of Economic and Political Sciences, Cairo University, Egypt.

Legislative Drafting for Democratic Social Change: A Manual for Drafters [Arabic]
This guide is coauthored by Robert B. Seidman, Ann Seidman, and Nalin Abeyesekere. UNDP funded its translation to Arabic. It aims to provide guidance to the legislators during the technical procedure of legislation. It highlights several important topics such as the relation between the legislative drafting, good governance, and the process of development. It discusses the technique for preparing a research report, and methods for drafting a draft law. The guide also sheds light on the role of legislative drafting in promoting good governance.

Comments of Mr. Adnan Daher [Arabic]
Comments of Mr. Adnan Daher, Secretary General of the Lebanese Parliament on Mr. Ali Sawi's paper.

Legislative Process in Arab Countries: Comparative Experiences and Lessons Learned [Arabic]
Presented by Mr. Ali Moussa, First Researcher at the People's Assembly, Egypt.

Legislative Process in the Algerian Parliament [Arabic]
Presentation of Mr. Al Eid Achoury, Assistant Secretary General for Legislative Affairs, National People's Assembly, Algeria.

Methodologies, Means and Resources for the Production of Legal Texts [Arabic]
Presentation of Mr. Wassim Harb, Chairman of the Board Bureau d'Etudes et de Recherches en Informatique et Droit, Lebanon.

Preparation, Drafting and Management of Legislative Projects [English] [Arabic]
Presentation of Mr. Keith Patchett, Professor, United Kingdom.

Comments of Mr. Mohammed Al Masalha [Arabic]
Comments of Mr. Mohammed Al Masalha, Secretary General of the Jordanian House of Representatives Keith Patchet's paper.

Status of Legislative Drafting in Egypt: Case Study of The Draft Labour Law [Arabic]
Presentation of Mr. Mahmoud Sabra, Associate Professor, American University of Cairo, Egypt.

Towards Improving Legislation [Arabic]
Presentation of Mr. August Bakhos, Head of Lawmaking and Reform Committee, Lebanon

Comments of Mr. Zuhair Shukr [Arabic]
Comments of Mr. Zuhair Shukr, Professor of constitutional law at the Lebanese University on Mr. August Bakhus's paper.

Development of a Model for the Drafting of Legislative Texts for the Arab Parliaments [French]
Intervention of Mr. Bruno Baufumé, Director of the International Affairs Department, The Senate, France.