19 Sep 2018

 Law reforms strengthen, entrench constitutional rights and ensure that Batswana continue to enjoy them unhindered, says Attorney General Advocate Abraham Keetshabe.

Speaking during the on-going Law Reform Strategy Development Workshop held at GICC on September 18,  he said law reform should usher in a new era in the practice of democracy and good governance in Botswana.

Advocate Keetshabe said the key objective of the workshop was to set the tone for the development of the law reform strategy.

The skills identified would facilitate the development of a strategy grounded in the national context and informed by the comparative experiences of other relevant law reform agencies, he said. 

He disclosed that UNDP had been requested to provide technical support for the establishment of a law reform unit and the development of a national law reform strategy. 

The attorney general further  said the strategy should provide the structure for ensuring that Botswana laws were under constant review, systematic improvement, development and modernisation and reflected the country’s unique legal context and national policy objectives.

The strategy should also ensure the creation of an enabling environment for the promotion of human rights and sustainable economic growth through sound legal frameworks that were necessary to achieve a range of NDP 11, SDGs and Vision 2036 targets.Speaking at the same event, UNDP’s Ms Jacinta Barrins said the a law reform strategy was a necessary tool.

She said it was “a great milestone in coming to determine what  the Law Reform Unit will entail.”

Ms Barrins noted that research would be undertaken in the unit to ensure high quality.

She commended the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security for having started the development of a  law reform strategy with relevance to NDP 11. ENDS