UNITED STATES: The High Level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor which includes Sri Lanka 's Member of Parliament Milinda Moragoda will hold its second full meeting in New York from June 05.


Its members include Goldon Brown Chancellor of the UK; Ferando Cardoso, former president of Brazil; Benjamin Mkapa; president of Tanzania ,Ernesto Zedillo: former president of Mexico ,Lawrence Summers, President of Harvard University.


The High Level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor - a new, independent, global initiative - sets out to explore how nations can reduce poverty through reforms that expand access to legal protection and opportunities for all. The Commission’s unique mission is built on the conviction that poverty can only be eradicated if governments give all citizens, especially the poor, a legitimate stake in the economy by extending the rule of law, making access to users’ and property rights and other legal protections not the privilege of the few but the right of all citizens.


The Commission, which will complete its work by late 2008, is co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto.


The work of the Commission will contribute significantly to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) both at the global and country levels, including the pledge by all UN members to cut extreme poverty worldwide by half by the year 2015.


Toward that end, the Commission plans to:
Generate political support for broad reforms that will ensure the legal inclusion and empowerment for the poor;


Identify ways for the Commission’s work to support, and bridge any gaps with, other development approaches, including conflict prevention, gender equity, good governance, policies of inclusion, administration of justice, legal enforcement, capital formation, provision of services, access to credit, sustainable environmental management, and investment in public infrastructure;


Develop an inventory of experiences to date of reforms to promote asset security, based on the work of governments, civil society, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector throughout the world; and Produce and disseminate a comprehensive set of practical, adaptable tools that will guide policymakers’ reform efforts at the country level.