Rule of law project (180-0020)

The United States Information Agency (USIA), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State"s Bureau for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, will implement the project, which will consist of training and TA, including legislative consultation, chiefly to government entities. The project will provide assistance in developing and revising constitutional, criminal, and civil laws protecting human rights and freedoms. (It will not encompass efforts to develop commercial law, for which other funding mechanisms are available.) Activities may include TA in drafting legislation, training (in the United States or abroad) for Central and Eastern European legal reformers, and legal exchanges. The project will also provide assistance in the development of an independent judiciary in the Central and Eastern European countries, particularly through judicial training, and potentially including development of judicial administration procedures. To implement the above activities, USIA will establish a new Rule of Law Program, which will be authorized to engage in rule of law activities directly or through grants or contracts. Amendment of 9/27/91 extends project to the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). (PD-ABF-381) Amendment of 3/6/92 extends the PACD 2 years to 3/96. (PD-ABF- 264)