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IBA Council calls on states to ratify Rome Statute of International Criminal Court

At its global meeting in Singapore, the Council of the International Bar Association called on all remaining states to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Council, which comprises almost all of the world’s national bars and law societies, noted that, to date, 105 states have recognised the authority of the Court and appealed for this to be extended worldwide.

The resolution in support of the ICC was passed unanimously by a vote of the Council, which also asked its member bars and law societies to encourage their respective governments to act, and to support and advance the goals of the ICC.

View a pdf of the ICC resolution here.
More on the IBAHRI’s ICC Monitoring and Outreach Programme

Launch of IBA complaints procedures guide

Another important document passed in Singapore by the IBA Council was the 'Guide for Establishing and Maintaining Complaints and Discipline Procedures'.

This guide was formulated following a three-year consultation with the IBA's bar and law society members. It comes in response to the call by many developing bar leaders for a basic complaints and discipline procedure that they can adopt or adapt (in the absence of none or a defective process) for their own bar. It is intended as a model or ’off-the-shelf' product that bar associations can write into their own rules for regulating the legal profession in their country

View a pdf of the guide here.

Interview with legendary arbitrator to debut at IBA International Arbitration Day

The première showing of an interview with Pieter Sanders at age 95, in which he gives personal insights on the 1958 New York Convention, is scheduled for the luncheon of the 11th IBA International Arbitration Day on 1 February 2008 in New York.

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View the full conference programme and online registration here

IBA Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Committee participates in WIPO enforcement meeting

The IBA Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Committee participated in the fourth session of the WIPO’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement, held 1-2 November at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva. Dr Thomas Legler, the committee’s WIPO Liaison Officer, submitted a report highlighting the main issues from the meeting.

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Separation of powers under serious threat in Poland

Following a high-level delegation visit to Poland in September, the IBA’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) have expressed serious concern over the former Polish Government’s apparent campaign to gain control over the entire justice system of the country. The IBAHRI and CCBE have released a report, Justice under siege: a report on the rule of law in Poland, which details their full concerns. In particular, the IBAHRI and CCBE are concerned about threats to the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession, and inappropriate executive interference in the prosecution system. They call upon the new Government, led by Donald Tusk and the Civic Platform Party, to implement the recommendations contained in the report to restore the rule of law in Poland.

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IBA Mediation Committee reports on UNCITRAL Model Law regarding conciliation

The IBA Mediation Committee agreed in 2006 to constitute a subcommittee to investigate and report on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Conciliation, with a view to providing members with a useful guide. The subcommittee’s initial report was issued at the 2007 Annual Conference in Singapore, collating responses from various jurisdictions.

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The initial survey report is available here.
A spreadsheet of the answers received to date is available here.

Partisan policing: an obstacle to human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe

The IBAHRI has issued a report calling on the Zimbabwean authorities to take immediate steps to end abuses of police power. Following a fact-finding visit to Zimbabwe in August this year, the IBAHRI has asserted that police routinely commit serious violations of human rights, subvert the rule of law and play a blatantly partisan role. The report cites wide abuses by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) which range from torture and arbitrary arrests to disobedience of court orders and beatings and intimidation of lawyers.

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IBA participates in inaugural HiiL conference

On 26 and 27 October, the IBA participated in the first annual HiiL ‘Law of the Future’ conference. The conference was the first in a series of annual conferences intended to constitute a bridge between practice and academia. This year’s conference focused on ‘Further Conceptualization and Practical Progress on Building Coherent and Effective Rule of Law Programmes and Strategies’.

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Corporate Counsel Forum Scholarship 2008

The IBA Corporate Counsel Forum is for the first time awarding a scholarship for in-house lawyers at the upcoming 7th Annual International Corporate Counsel Conference, which will be held in Frankfurt on 17-19 February 2008. The scholarship will provide an invaluable opportunity for young, in-house lawyers to participate by submitting a short paper by 30 November 2007.

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IBA International Practice Diploma Programme participants awarded IBA Fellowships

The IBA is delighted to announce that 21 participants in its ‘International Practice Diploma Programme’ have been awarded the Fellowship. Upon successful completion of five International Practice Diploma modules over seven years, participants earn the designation of ‘IBA Fellow in International Legal Practice’.

We were also pleased that several of the Fellows were able to accept the invitation to attend the IBA Annual Conference in Singapore where they were presented with their certificates by the President of the IBA, Fernando Pombo, during a ceremony at the Young Lawyers Reception.

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International survey on industrial espionage

The IBA is still soliciting your assistance with the Criminal Law section’s international survey on industrial espionage.

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