More than 300 delegates from nine member countries are gathering at the 10th General Assembly of the ASEAN Law Association (ALA), which opened in Hanoi on Oct. 15.

Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet, Justice Minister Ha Hung Cuong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) General Secretary, Surin Pitsuwan, attended the opening ceremony.

While opening the conference, ALA Chairman Atthaniti Disatha Amnarj said the newly-adopted ASEAN Charter takes the ALA into a new era that requires greater cooperation in implementing the charter and dealing with new challenges posed by the charter itself.

That is why this year’s conference selected the theme of “ASEAN Charter – Taking ASEAN to New Heights,” the ALA chairman noted.

He affirmed that with the recent development of ASEAN, especially after the ASEAN Charter became effective, the ALA is willing to cooperate with the bloc in implementing the charter in an effort to turn ASEAN into a powerful organisation by 2015.

In his speech, President Triet said the contents of the conference’s agenda are practical and important issues for each member nation and the ASEAN community as a whole.

Having shared reforms in Vietnam’s legal and judicial systems, the leader said in Vietnam, building and improving a socialist law-governed State of the people, by the people and for the people is defined as an objective and indispensable guiding principle, as written in the nation’s constitution.

Law enforcement agencies, lawyers’ organisations and lawyers strongly support activities designed to provide legal assistance to the poor, ethnic minority people, those in remote, isolate and island areas, and the most vulnerable groups such as children, women and the disabled, he said.

The President said he hoped that ASEAN lawyers will share experiences and put forth solutions to narrow the development gap amongst ASEAN member countries.

During the course of three days, the participants will discuss a range of issues such as the implications of the ASEAN Charter on legal education within the bloc, the resolution of current legal issues under the charter, and developments over the past five years in the legal system of ALA member countries.

They will also make a critical evaluation of investment laws and current judicial reforms in ASEAN countries to draw lessons and learn from experiences, and ramp up the enforcement of the payment of awards after international commercial arbitration in member countries.

Established in 1979, ALA is one of the region’s largest non-governmental organisations. It brings together under one roof members of all different branches of the legal profession - judges, professors, and private and government lawyers.

The ALA aims to promote close relations, cooperation and mutual understanding amongst lawyers in ASEAN countries and provide an organisational framework for regional cooperation.

It also provides proactive mechanisms for member countries to avoid conflicts, and helps in the arbitration and resolution of legal disputes over transnational contracts within the ASEAN region./.