OSCE holds workshop on legislative process in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, 23 September 2009 - An OSCE-supported workshop aimed at providing lawmakers in Turkmenistan with tools for an effective legal reform process started in Ashgabat today. 

The two-day event, the third in a series of workshops, was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat in co-operation with the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan.

The workshop focuses on issues of interaction between government and parliament during the various stages of the legislative process as well as public participation in the process. The workshop brings together more than 30 parliamentarians and officials involved in Turkmenistan's law-making process and legal reform, as well as experts from ODIHR and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

"Effective domestic mechanisms enable government and parliamentary bodies to interconnect effectively throughout the law-drafting process," said Robert Adams, Head of the ODIHR Democratization Department.

"We believe that this series of workshops has contributed to a better understanding of the significance domestic mechanisms have in improving the quality of legislation in the country."

The previous two workshops took place in Ashgabat in May 2008 and February 2009 and focused on policy development, impact assessment and evaluation and oversight of legislation.