On the 7th  of August 2015 LASPNET Board of Director held breakfast meeting with Chief Justice of Uganda Hon Bert Katureebe.  The meeting took place at the High court building -Kampala and it lasted for about 2 hours. The objective of the meeting was to congratulate his Lordship upon elevation to the office of the Chief Justice and to use the opportunity to share experiences and lessons of the Legal service provision in Uganda and to call upon the  leadership of the Justice Law and Order Sector to fast track enactment of Legal aid policy and law.

Legal aid is the provision of free or subsidised legal services to mainly poor and vulnerable people who cannot afford the services of paid lawyers. The right to legal aid is well entrenched in the International and Regional human rights treaty framework to most of which Uganda is a state party. The provision of legal aid addresses the concerns of the poor and vulnerable by focusing on challenges arising from: affordability of user costs, lack of legal representation, and alienation due to technicalities, language and ignorance of legal rights. Poverty, ignorance of the law, the effect of armed conflict, disability or other vulnerability or marginalization are some of the factors that undermine access to justice for the majority of Ugandans. The provision of Legal Aid will greatly contribute to the empowerment of individuals and communities – a key ingredient of poverty reduction efforts thereby contributing to economic development. 

Legal aid is the provision of free legal services to mainly poor and vulnerable people who cannot afford the services of paid lawyers. The right to legal aid is well entrenched in the International and Regional human rights treaty framework to most of which Uganda is a state party. The provision of legal aid addresses the concerns of the poor and vulnerable by focusing on challenges arising from: affordability of user costs, lack of legal representation, and alienation due to technicalities, language and ignorance of legal rights. Poverty, ignorance of the law, the effect of armed conflict, disability or other vulnerability or marginalization are some of the factors that undermine access to justice for the majority of Ugandans. The provision of Legal Aid will greatly contribute to the empowerment of individuals and communities – a key ingredient of poverty reduction efforts thereby contributing to economic development

National CSO Fair is an annual event organized by the Uganda National NGO Forum, to provide space for mutual learning, forging viable networks, building solidarity and taking part in debates and discussions with citizens, Government and other stakeholders on development issues and concerns. This 5th National CSO Fair took place on 25th and 26th June 2015 at Hotel Africana, Kampala, under the theme, “Leaving no one behind: Uganda’s Place in the Next Global Development Agenda”.

LASPNET participated at the CSO fair through an Exhibition and convening a parallel session under the theme, “A National legal aid framework that promotes peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.”