Institutional Framework For Legal And Judicial Training In South Asia (With Particular Reference To Bangladesh And Nepal)

This working paper is intended to share, in a very modest way, the experience of two countries in the South Asian subcontinent-Bangladesh and Nepal-which have made remarkable strides in developing, planning, managing, and facilitating legal and judicial training. It is hoped that the paper will be useful for readers interested in exploring the issue of training and capacity building in the legal and judicial sector. It does not purport to deal with grand theories or principles, or to present an exhaustive review. Rather, it aims to share interesting country and regional experiences on an institutional framework for capacity building which are linked to ongoing Bank operations. Bangladesh and Nepal are least-developed countries (LDCs) that have taken the approach of relying essentially on autonomous or semi-autonomous judicial training institutes, bodies that are relatively new. After briefly introducing the judiciaries of Bangladesh and Nepal, the paper reviews their respective initiatives to reform (or strengthen) judicial institutions, with a particular focus on those created to build capacity and provide training. It then assesses the similarities, contrasts, strengths, weaknesses, and problems of these institutions and discusses the prospects for improving capacity building programs through such institutions.