2012, Washington, Namati Legal Empowerment Network
(Adriana Ruiz-Restrepo, UNDP/OGC, Republished by Namati)
A Legal Empowerment Strategy for Latin American Poor: A Reading of the National Consultations of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor
By: Adriana Ruiz-Restrepo
Based on a reading of the national consultations of the independent Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor in Latin America, this paper argues that empowerment strategies based in law must begin in the realm of governance and that the poor – according to the voices from the ground – require specific “governance for empowerment” interventions in regard to poverty reduction, the responsiveness of the state and through the fostering of bottom–up and top-down communications within the development process. Only then, it is argued, will the formal rules, rights and justice gain relevance to the poor. Finally, the paper argues for a legal empowerment strategy in the Latin America region that is in line with UNDP’s role as a catalyst for systemic change through the implementation of networks for policy makers, legal professionals and civil society members.
Based on a reading of the national consultations of the independent Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor in Latin America, this paper argues that empowerment strategies based in law must begin in the realm of governance and that the poor – according to the voices from the ground – require specific “governance for empowerment” interventions in regard to poverty reduction, the responsiveness of the state and through the fostering of bottom-up and top-down communications within the development process. Only then, it is argued, will the formal rules, rights, and justice gain relevance to the poor. Finally, the paper argues for a legal empowerment strategy in the Latin America region that is in line with UNDP’s role as a catalyst for systemic change through the implementation of networks for policymakers, legal professionals, and civil society members.
Source: https://www.academia.edu/2047227/The_Legal_Empowerment_of_the_Latin_American_Poor http://bit.ly/2whLpoe