News
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After our basic e-library last week, the Inter-University Cooperation Project Laos-Luxembourg organised two more additional training sessions on the 10th and 11th for lecturers and librarians having completed their basic training previously.
The two sessions were run by Ms. Jevgenija from EIFL with the support from Dr. Perrine Simon, the Liaison Officer of the University of Luxembourg and Ms. Thongkhoon Xayyahong, the Project Assistant who were monitoring and facilitating participation.
On 10th, the trainer reviewed previous lessons before running practical sessions. 8 trainees were doing exercises by using functions and filters that the trainer assigned step by step, with the help of Mr. Dimitri for translation. At the end, they all gained useful skills and are more confident in searching E-Library.
On 11th, Ms. Jevgenija showed how to search on the E-Library by using additional functions. She gave some search tips to participants on how to create their individual account on EBSCO and save search results. She then showed them how to find and search on individual databases by using specialized and multidisciplinary e-resources (such as Oxford University Press and Heinonline). 8 participants had to complete several practical tasks. It gave them the chance to learn how to find legal resources for their teaching and research. They actively engaged with Ms. Jevgenija by asking questions and sharing their search results via Zoom features.
The e-library is an essential tool to strengthen access to knowledge and a concrete tool for teachers to prepare their classes and do research. More e-training will be coming soon!
The E-library is a digital version of a library accessible via internet which gives access to online databases containing books (e-books), academic journals and many other resources such as magazines and newspapers.
Visit the webpage of the FLP: http://flp.nuol.edu.la/e-library/
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On 3-4 November 2021, the Inter-University Cooperation Project Laos-Luxembourg organised 2 half-days of basic training on ‘How to Use the E-Library’ for FLP’s lecturers. It was the eighth training organised by the Project. The sessions were led fully online via Zoom again due to the Covid-19 situation in Laos. Ms. Xayyahong, the Project Assistant was in charge of the interpretation for the first time on the second day.
15 lecturers participated in the training led by Ms Jevegenija from EIFL, with the assistance from Dr. Perrine, the Liaison Officer of the University of Luxembourg who was monitoring and helping the participants.
On the first day, the trainer introduced the participants to the new e-library, presented the resources now available digitally and asked trainees to run some small searches as an exercise. On the second day, the trainees explored more in depth the search platform by doing practical exercises consisting of finding specific resources on given research topics. This allowed them to learn how to find resources for their classes and research. The lecturers actively engaged with Ms. Jevgenija by asking questions and sharing their search results via Zoom features.
The e-library is an essential tool to strengthen access to knowledge and a concrete tool for teachers to prepare their classes and do research. More e-training will be coming soon!
The E-library is a digital version of a library accessible via internet which gives access to online databases containing books (e-books), academic journals and many other resources such as magazines and newspapers. Visit the webpage of the FLP: http://flp.nuol.edu.la/e-library/
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The University of Luxembourg is continuing to support the drafting of academic guide for legal research. On 5 October 2021, Vice-Dean Dr. Somdeth KEOVONGSACK and Dr. Perrine Simon, Liaison Officer from the University of Luxembourg led an online workshop via Zoom bringing together the seven committee members from FLP, in charge on the participatory drafting of the guidelines.
This workshop was dedicated to the revision and the finalisation of the draft guidelines. The guidelines are covering aspects of legal research such as the definition of legal research and the different types of legal research, the sources used in legal research, rules of academic ethics and plagiarism, referencing style, and advice on academic writing to structure a law paper.
Committee members presented the chapters they have drafted or co-drafted with the Liaison Officer to others. The aim was to consult all committee members on the draft in order to get their comments and suggestions. The workshop was intensive and successful. They all had fruitful and informative exchanges for the Guidelines on Academic Legal Research Methodology!
The way forward is the translation of the draft into Lao and the preparation to present the guidelines to FLP academic staff on the next upcoming workshop in this month.
The guidelines on legal research are an important tool to improve the understanding about legal research and enhance the quality of legal research. They could serve as a benchmark for research in law, but could also inspire similar academic strategies/policies in political science, and on plagiarism and research ethics at NUOL level.
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Last 22-23th of September 2021, the University of Luxembourg organized a two days training on ‘How to Use the E-Library’ for FLP’s lecturers. It was the seventh training organised by the Project. The session, due to the Covid-19 situation in Laos and new lockdown, was led fully virtually with participants and our translator Mr. Dimitri joining from home via Zoom platform.
15 lecturers and librarians attended the training led by Ms Jevegenija from EIFL, with the assistance from Dr. Perrine, the Liaison Officer of the University of Luxembourg, and Ms. Thongkhoon Xayyahong, the Project Assistant, who were monitoring and helping the participants.
On the first day, the trainer introduced the participants to the new e-library, presented the resources now available digitally and asked trainees to run some small searches as an exercise. On the second day, the trainees explored more in depth the search platform by doing practical exercises consisting of finding specific resources on given research topics. This allowed them to learn how to find resources for their classes and research. The lecturers actively engaged with Ms. Jevgenija by asking questions and sharing their search results via Zoom features.
The e-library is an essential tool to strengthen access to knowledge and a concrete tool for teachers to prepare their classes and do research. More e-training will be coming soon!
The E-library is a digital version of a library accessible via internet which gives access to online databases containing books (e-books), academic journals and many other resources such as magazines and newspapers. Visit the webpage of the FLP: http://flp.nuol.edu.la/e-library/
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The University of Luxembourg and the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs have agreed to extend the Inter-University Cooperation Project between the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the National University of Laos in Vientiane and Luxembourg’s Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance and. This project is part of the larger framework of the development cooperation between Luxembourg and Laos. Beginning in 2017 with an initial 4-year agreement, the project has been extended to 2024.
The Inter-University cooperation seeks to foster a genuine legal culture and reinforce best practices for law students, lecturers and researchers at the National University of Laos, and more specifically the Faculty of Law and Political Science. The ultimate goal of the project is to promote the rule of law in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) by supporting and enriching both the research and teaching environment, with a focus on the correct application of legal rules.
The decision to extend the project was partly based on the success and potential of the first four years. Some notable achievements have been the development of an e-library and related training to support legal research, numerous teaching visits, research stays and digital lectures, the coaching of an International Moot Court for Lao law students, the organization of thematic research seminars in the form of ‘summer schools’, and the publication of a special edition of the journal Critical Quarterly for Legislation and Law dedicated to the project with contributions from both Lao and Luxembourg researchers.
New objectives for the next phase of the project are the modernization of teaching through the introduction of clinical legal education, the development of a digital teaching offer, the updating of teaching material, and the creation of a “student for student” tutoring programme. Additionally, three scholarships will be made available to promising young law researchers from the National University of Laos who wish to a pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Luxembourg together with research grants to support Laotian research in law.
Franz Fayot, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, is delighted with the extension of the collaboration between the two universities in the field of law and the strengthening of the rule of law: “A faculty of law offering high-quality education is the basis for strengthening the rule of law, with the ultimate goal of providing all Lao citizens access to their rights.”
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The University of Luxembourg is proud to announce the opening of applications to select qualified young law researchers from the National University of Laos to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Luxembourg.
The Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (FDEF) of the University of Luxembourg will provide a friendly international environment in which the selected PhD candidates will be supported to carry out their research in the field of law and supervised by faculty members. The doctoral programme aims to train lao lecturers for them to acquire solid academic and research skills in the legal field, in order in the long-run to strengthen the capacities of the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the National University of Laos.
In line with the “Luxembourg general cooperation strategy for sustainable development – Road to 2030”, the Inter-University Project welcomes research proposals falling under the following thematic:
- Rule of law and governance
- Fundamental rights;
- Gender equality;
- Environment sustainability and climate protection.
Selected PhD candidates will benefit from a financial support for three years, with a possible extension to four years. They will be provided with a working station and the best conditions for writing their thesis. The PhD candidates will commit to be physically present at the FDEF during the academic year. Their doctoral research will be supervised by a main supervisor, Professor in Law at the University of Luxembourg. Doctoral candidates will participate fully in the activities of University through seminars, doctoral workshops and scientific events. The PhD thesis will take the form of a book-length manuscript.
The applicants must hold a Master’s degree in law or with a strong component in law and must be proficient in English (equivalent to B2 level). There are no criteria in terms of age.
The application must be written in English and should encompass:
– A curriculum vitae with full contact details;
– A cover letter (not to exceed 2 pages);
– A PhD project proposal not to exceed 5 pages, including the bibliography. The project proposal should include a description of the research topic (introduction), the hypothesis, research objectives and envisaged methodology as well as a short bibliography (15 references maximum).
Application deadline: 15 October 2021
The pre-selected candidates will be invited for an interview
Applications should be submitted to Pr. Stefan Braum and Dr. Perrine Simon: stefan.braum@uni.lu and perrine.simon@ext.uni.lu
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The first Steering Committee of our phase II took place of the 12th of July 2021. Despite the difficulties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions in place, the Committee convened in a hybrid format, with the FLP counterparts and Dr. Perrine Simon (Liaison Officer) physically present at the FLP, and the representatives of and Uni.lu-FDEF, the Luxembourg Embassy in Laos, LuxDev and ILSTA joining online via WebEx.
The Committee meets at least a year to ensure the monitoring and evaluate the progress of the Project, as well as to decide upon future directions based on the annual plans proposed by the concerned universities. This year’s Steering Committee was held successfully and was quite special as it concluded the end of phase I (2017-2020) and officially launched the phase II (2021-2024) of the Project.
Committee members underlined the continuity and dynamism of the Inter-University Project in the last 4 years. Pr. Stefan Braum, Project leader for UNI.lu stressed the importance of the research stays in Luxembourg which have been a success and led a to a special publication in a law journal. They reflect the “pragmatic individual approach” taken to help Lao lecturers to develop their research capacity. He also highlighted some of the Project’s significant achievements such as the establishment of a e-library and the gradual involvement with students with moot court, lectures and student exchanges.
Dr. Perrine Simon summarised the activities that have been organised in the past year and presented the Annual report for 2020 and the general report highlighting the achievement of the Inter-University Project between 2017-2020 (see brochure). She also presented the novelties of the phase II and the planned activities for 2021. She also introduced the new Project Assistant, Ms. Thongkhoon Xayyahong recruited in July 21.
The Project foresees, in phase II, research is scaling-up with the selection of up to 3 Lao candidates for a PhD in Luxembourg for which a public call for applications is set to open very soon, as well as with new research grants supervised by the Project. The Project will also from now on provide scholarship opportunities for a master in Luxembourg, and internship opportunities, for the FLP and UNI.lu students.
The next Steering Committee, also the first reporting on activities of the phase II, is set to be organised in February 2022.
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In the framework of the Inter-University Cooperation Project Laos-Luxembourg, the University of Luxembourg organized a special lecture on “Money Laundering and the Use of Indirect or Circumstantial Evidence (Article 130 of the Penal Code)”, given by Mr. Chris Batt from UNODC who is the Anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) Advisor for the Mekong region, based in Vientiane. The lecture was attended by 30 criminal law students and teachers from the Faculty of Law and Political Science of NUOL on 17th of March 2021.
Money Laundering is a serious crime that impacts on the economy of every country. Mr. Batt analysed the different elements of the offence of money-laundering, insisting in particular on notion such as predicate offences. As a former policeman specialised who has led financial investigation, the speaker gave very real insights on money-laundering and many examples from real cases to the audience that was captivated.
Given this fruitful first lecture given in partnership with UNODC, the Inter-University Project plans to do more in the future!
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The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic acted as an accelerator to start developing an online teaching offer, from now on foreseen in the new phase of our project in the form of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The Liaison Officer Perrine Simon has developed a series of 7 videos on legal research methodology with the contribution of some Luxembourg PhD students that came during the previous editions (Florence d’Ath, Jean-Marc Ceci, Andrii Hubai and Teresa Quintel), a lao translator – Mr. Detsada Souksaseum – and a team of talented young students for shooting and video editing (JPEG Film). More information will be released soon on how to access our first module!
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The Inter-University Cooperation is actively supporting the development of an institutional repository for NUoL, in collaboration with the LuxDev Project Lao/031. We do so with the kind assistance of our partner EIFL.
An institutional repository is an archive for collecting, preserving, and disseminating digital copies of the intellectual output of a research institution. Repositories contain the research produced by the academic institution/University: books and books sections, conference papers, journal articles, reports, theses and dissertations, working papers and other documents. Most universities around the world have set up open access repositories, including in Asia and Southeast Asia (see for example among many Universities National University of Singapore, Mahidol University in Thailand). Having an institutional repository for a University allows to strengthen research, to preserve and research outputs, but also to improve the dissemination and visibility of a variety of scholarly materials, and to provide a free and persistent point of access to them.
We have recently organised the first two consultation meetings on the Development on the institutional repository for NUoL and the FLP (on 3rd of February 2021 and 17th of March 2021) with a hybrid format. Experts from EIFL were present via Zoom to help designing the road-map to establish NUoL’s repository.
These consultations brought together stakeholders from the central level of NUoL, and the faculty level (FLP). The meeting was chaired bу Assoc. Prof. Bounthieng Phommachanh, Vice Dean of the FLP and attended by the Director and Deputy director of NUoL Central Library, the Director of NUoL ІСТ Center, the Head of Research Office of NUoL, the Deputy head of Post Graduate office of NUoL, the Head of the FLP Lіbrагу, the Deputy head of FLP Research Division, and the persons in charge of Software Development Division of the ІСТ Center and FLP.
The participants discussed the next steps to take and agreed that effectively establishing such a repository was highly important for NUOL’s research development. The next steps towards this institutional repository will be to meet with NUOL’s presidency to officially adopt a roadmap and policy attributing responsibilities and workflows for NUoL’s open access repository.
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Congratulations again to the Lao team participating in the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Court, which was exceptionally organized through a virtual format for the first time this year, on 11-12 March 2021. The University of Luxembourg is actively supporting NUoL’s participation in this international competition! Dr. Perrine Simon, the Liaison Officer of Uni.lu, hosted the team during the competition at the Project’s office at the Faculty of Law and Political Science.
The Lao team has been trained intensively after winning the National Round in December 2020 until the last day of the competition by Perrine, both face-to-face and virtually. They worked extremely hard and put a lot of effort into this moot court competition on International Criminal Law entirely in English to compete against universities from the Asia-Pacific region. The team scored very well in written memorial and got many positive comments and feedback from the judges during the oral pleading of the general rounds. We are currently waiting for the final ranking.
This Moot court organised by the ICRC is a great way to stimulate legal thinking, by learning how to develop legal arguments appropriately. Students also have improved their presentation skills, debating skills and English!
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The Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (FDEF) of Luxembourg keeps supporting training on “ How to use the E-library “. Ms. Jevgenija Sevcova, Programme Coordinator, from EIFL led two half virtual training sessions on the 21st of December 2020 and the 2nd of February 2021, accompanied by Dr. Perrine Simon.
Ms. Jevgenija was presenting through Zoom and the presentation was translated by an interpreter in the training room at the FLP. The training targeted around 15 FLP librarians and ICT volunteers. They learnt how to access and use the E-library . The aim is for them to be able to assist other users to use the newly established e-library effectively as librarians and ICT volunteers of the FLP.
The E-library is a digital version of a library accessible via internet which gives access to online databases containing books (e-books), academic journals and many other resources such as magazines and newspapers.
Visit the webpage of the FLP: http://flp.nuol.edu.la/e-library/
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The Inter-University Project in partnership with LuxDev-Lao/031 has organised from 20-22 January 2021 a 3-day workshop dedicated to plagiarism and research ethics in Vang Vieng. The event in English gathered 20 FLP lecturers.
This workshop took place in the framework of our support to the establishment of “Guidelines on legal research” (see). The Luxembourg Cooperation is committed to foster the recognition of the distinctiveness of law, and the pursuit of higher research standards of scholarly and scientific integrity. The foreseen guidelines are meant to describe some basic rules about academic integrity and plagiarism, which could be a first step before the creation of law journal, or the adoption of a NUOL “Code of research ethics”.
During the seminar, participants discussed what academic ethics and plagiarism are. Presentations were given by Dr. Perrine Simon and Dr. Boulaphiane Sisouk (FLP lecturer) and Dr. Latdavanh Domkeodavong. The seminar was dedicated to explaining clearly what plagiarism is, by showing examples of plagiarism and highlighting the importance of handling problems of plagiarism. Participants discussed potential solutions to improve academic ethics and plagiarism. They performed group exercises during which they had to search for examples of definitions on the website of various universities to identify how it is tackled elsewhere.
By the end of workshop, participants listed some basic rules which should be included in the Guidelines and made recommendations as regards future actions that could be established by FLP and NUOL.
The guidelines on legal research are an important tool to improve the understanding about legal research and quality research. They could serve as a benchmark for research in law, but could also inspire similar academic strategies/policies in political science, and on plagiarism and research ethics at NUOL level.
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The Inter-University Cooperation project between the University of Luxembourg and the National University of Laos has been supporting training for the ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court competition at the FLP for four years. This year, the project also organised a hand-over ceremony of certificates on the 11th of November 2020, to reward the teams involved in the international round in 2020 who could not travel to Hong-Kong. This ceremony was also the opportunity to launch the 19th edition of the Moot and the preparation for the national rounds.
During the first week of December 2020, a series of online Moot training was organized via Zoom with Dr. Lawrence SIRY, who has been involved in this IHL Moot Court in the last 2 years. It was a one week intensive training with a group of 12-15 students of FLP. The students learned how to do a convincing pleading and present their arguments in a critical way and gained some in-depth knowledge about International humanitarian law and International criminal law.
Moot court competitions are an essential aspect of “Problem-based learning” and promote practice-relevant teaching. Students will not only develop their legal skills, but also enhance speaking and debating skills, as well as their English.
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The University of Luxembourg is supporting the elaboration of official guidelines for legal research by the Faculty of Law of NUOL. A committee of lecturers was created to draft these guidelines under the supervision of the two vice-dean of the FLP adjuncts to research. The committee is supported by the Liaison Officer of the Inter-University Project.
The committee meets once a month for participatory workshops led by Dr. Perrine Simon, in order to elaborate the content of these guidelines following the pre-identification of topics/chapters by Dr. Perrine Simon together with Dr. Latdavanh Donkeodavong (Deputy Head of Research and Academic Service Division). The guidelines will include chapters on the distinctiveness of legal research, sources in law, plagiarism and legal ethics, style of citation, and structuring a law research. The draft guidelines are expected to be presented at the FLP in April/May and subsequently adopted by FLP and NUOL by summer 2021. This activity is jointly organised with LuxDev (Lao/031) providing financial support.
The first workshop took place on 25th of November and was dedicated to identifying the distinctiveness of legal research. Participants discussed what is legal research, what belongs to this field and what does not. They were asked to search for material about the autonomy of law as a field (academic papers, statement by Dean’s of Law Faculties, curriculum of Universities abroad, etc.) and presented their findings to other members during the meeting.
The second workshop took place on 23rd of December and focused on primary and secondary sources in Law. Participants discussed what are the sources researchers need to look at when doing legal research. They had to search for examples in Law textbooks and academic law papers to identify the main sources widely used around the world and to present their findings to other members. The workshop was concluded by listing primary and secondary legal sources that FLP students and lecturers should take into account in their research.
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The Inter-University Cooperation Project organised its first Hybrid “Law Winter School” from 15-17 December 2020, in Vang Vieng as the previous Law Summer School in 2019. 12 candidates were selected based on their interest in improving their legal knowledge and level of English for an intensive 3-day seminar entirely in English. This edition included 9 lecturers from the FLP and 3 practitioners (one judge, one prosecutor and one lawyer).
Our Winter School was dedicated to “Rule of law principles”. It focused in particular on the principle of legality, with sessions on legal certainty, non-retroactivity and application of law in time, and access to justice and fair trial, with sessions on judicial independence and presumption of innocence. The main speakers were Dr. Lawrence Siry and Dr. Perrine Simon, with Pr. Stefan Braum joining for some discussion sessions. Each session included a theoretical part, followed by a practical part during which candidates had to work in groups on case studies.
Some sessions included pre-recorded videos or live sessions via Zoom, whereas the practical part was led by Perrine (physically present). All participants actively engaged in discussions on the meaning of Rule of law in the Lao context, the power of interpretation of judges, difficult access to judgements, judges’ ethics, and the rights of the defence. The contribution of the practitioners was extremely relevant to shed some light on some provisions of the Lao laws and on how they apply in practice.
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On the 9th of December 2020, the National round of the ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court competition took place at the FLP with the support of the University of Luxembourg. This year was quite special as the judges decided on the winner partly virtually through Zoom.
Six teams composed of two mooters competed in English acting in turn as the Defence and the Prosecution pleading a fictitious case before the International Criminal Court. Judges included Mr. Sippakorn Chongchuwanich (ICRC Legal Advisor) online, and Ms. Sophia Cason from the ASIA FOUNDATION (Chief of Party, Laos Legal Aid Support Program) and Dr. Boulaphiane Sisouk (lecturer at FLP), physically present.
The teams have been trained during November and December by the University of Luxembourg with Dr. Perrine Simon and Dr. Lawrence Siry both face-to-face and virtually.
This Moot court organised by the ICRC is a great way to stimulate legal thinking, by acquiring a specific method of reasoning and learning how to develop arguments appropriately. Students also have improved their presentation skills, debating skills and English!
Congratulations to all teams and special congrats to the winning team Ms. Noutthida MISOUPHANH and Ms. Daopakay SOUVANNALATH, which will participate to the International Round in March 2021!
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In the framework of the Inter-University Cooperation Project Laos – Luxembourg , the University of Luxembourg organised its first hybrid lecture! Dr Basak Baglayan from the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance – Luxembourg, gave a lecture via Zoom to 50 participants, students and teachers from the Faculty of Law and Political Science National University of Laos , on ‘Human Rights and the United Nations’. Dr. Baglayan has been involved for more than three years in our Project. She is a distinguished expert in human rights and has written extensively in this field, in particular on business and human rights. She is also currently advising the Government of Luxembourg as an independent expert on business and human rights issues.
Given the successful interactions between the speaker and the students, more online lectures will be organised soon!