February 10, 2005 Ottawa -- Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today announced, on behalf of International Cooperation Minister Aileen Carroll, that Canada will provide $100,000 to support legal sector reform and good governance in the West Bank and Gaza. The funding will be provided by the Canadian International Development Agency and will come under the auspices of Canada Corps. "I am pleased to announce this initiative, which will help extend Canadian support for the promotion of judicial independence, human rights and the rule of law," said Minister Pettigrew. "The project is intended to advance a model of judicial education, a sector in which Canada has a particular expertise and reputation, appropriate to the West Bank and Gaza." The program will be implemented by the University of Windsor in association with Birzeit University's Institute of Law (IoL) in the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority (PA) High Judicial Council (HJC). The University of Windsor has secured the participation on a voluntary basis of three distinguished Canadian judges: Federal Court Justice Doug Campbell, retired Supreme Court Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, and Chief Justice of Alberta Catherine Fraser. The project's centrepiece is a three-day workshop in the West Bank and Gaza in late February 2005, involving Palestinian judges, scholars, policy makers and NGOs. "Effective government systems, especially effective human rights and democratic systems, are vital to managing diversity and inclusion in any society," said Minister Carroll. "Canada is proud to be making a difference in the lives of citizens, including the poor, women, and children, in the West Bank and Gaza." Canada Corps harnesses the energy and experience of Canadian experts, volunteers, young professionals, and youth to deliver international assistance in the areas of governance and institution building. Funding for these initiatives was provided for in the March 2004 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework. - 30 - Information: Andrew Graham Director of Communications Office of the Minister of International Cooperation Telephone: (819) 953-6238 Media Relations Office Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Telephone: (819) 953-6534 E-mail: info@acdi-cida.gc.ca Web site: www.cida.gc.ca Sébastien Théberge Director of Communications Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (613) 995-1851 Media Relations Office Foreign Affairs Canada (613) 995-1874 http://www.international.gc.ca
