Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor
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The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor is the first global organization to focus specifically on the link between exclusion, poverty and law. Legal Empowerment is independent of government influence and hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 
Legal Empowerment is approaching global poverty from a unique perspective: the link between poverty and the inability of the poor to access acceptable, legal structures to protect economic assets and support economic activities. Legal Empowerment’s mission contributes to the Millennium Development Goals [1]. Its work will complement, rather than duplicate, the efforts of other aid organizations and institutions. The goal is not to send more money to developing countries, but to help governments and grassroot organizations create an environment that helps people work themselves out of poverty.
Legal Empowerment, co-chaired by former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright and Hernando de Soto, Peruvian economist and founder of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD), was launched in 2005 by a group of developing and industrialized countries including Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Tanzania and the United Kingdom, and has a mandate to complete its work in 2008.
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[edit] Members
Legal Empowerment is made up of influential policymakers and practitioners who are uniquely well positioned to advocate among their peers for legal reforms in developing countries. Given its unique structure, Legal Empowerment is a powerful catalyst for change among global leaders and within the development community.
[edit] Commissioners
- Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson, BRAC, Bangladesh
- Lloyd Axworthy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada
- Leszek Balcerowicz, President of the National Bank of Poland
- Lakhdar Brahimi, former Special Representative to the U.N. Secretary General
- Gordon Brown, Prime Minister, United Kingdom
- Fernando Cardoso, former President of Brazil
- Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran
- Ashraf Ghani, Dean of Kabul University and former Minister of Finance for Afghanistan
- Prince Hassan bin Talal, President of the Club of Rome
- Muhammad Medhat Hassanein, former Minister of Finance for Egypt
- Hilde Frafjord Johnson, former Minister of International Development, Norway
- Anthony Kennedy, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court
- Allan Larsson, former Minister of Finance for Sweden
- Clotilde Aniouvi Medegan Nougbode, President of the High Court of Benin
- Benjamin Mkapa, former President of the United Repulic of Tanzania
- Mike Moore, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, former Director General of the WTO
- Milinda Moragoda, former Minister of Economic Reforms, Science and Technology, Sri Lanka
- Syed Tanwir H. Naqvi, former Chairman of the National Reconstruction Bureau of Pakistan
- Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former High Commissioner of Human Rights
- Arjun Sengupta, Chairman of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector of India, United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty
- Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Housing, Republic of South Africa
- Lawrence Summers, President of Harvard University, USA
- Erna Witoelar, UN Special Ambassador for MDGs in Asia & the Pacific
- Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico
[edit] Board of Advisers
- Robert Annibale, Global Director of Microfinance, Citigroup
- Marek Belka, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
- Diego Hidalgo, Founder, Club of Madrid
- Donald Kaberuka, President, African Development Bank Group
- Jean Lemierre, President, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank
- Kumi Naidoo, CEO, CIVICUS
- Sheela Patel, Founder, Society for the Promotion of Area Resources (SPARC)
- Jan Peterson, Chair, Huairou Commission
- Juan Somavia, Director, International Labor Organization
- Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director, UN HABITAT
- Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chairperson, UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
- John Watson, President, CARE Canada
- Francisco Garza Zambrano, President, Cemex North America
- Robert Zoellick, President, World Bank
[edit] Organization
The only way to break new ground on legal empowerment, is to learn from the experiences of those who live and work in slums and settlements around the world. The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor is partnering with grassroots organizations, governments and institutions to hear about the legal challenges faced by the poor. National and Regional Consultations are hosted in Africa, South and Central Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. These national and regional processes ground the work of Legal Empowerment in local realities, and contribute to recommendations that reflect diverse cultural, socio-economic and political environments.
Legal Empowerment brings together some of the world's greatest experts and practicioners into Working Groups organized around the key areas of Legal Empowerment’s work:
- Rule of Law and Access to Justice
- Property Rights
- Labor Rights
- Business Rights
- Road Maps for Implementation of Reforms
These five groups collaborate with international and civil society organizations, donor governments and countries that have implemented reforms, analyzing lessons learned from past projects and participating in ongoing development initiatives.
[edit] External links
http://legalempowerment.undp.org/ http://youtube.com/LegalEmpowerment1
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