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Singapore Democratic Party |
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Dear Dr Chee Soon Juan This letter is in response to your enquiry about the International Bar Association’s decision to hold its 2007 Annual Conference in Singapore. We appreciate your views and concerns and welcome your input. By way of background, the International Bar Association (IBA) was established in 1947 following the devastating hostilities of World War II. Its creators envisioned an international legal organisation that could substantively contribute to post-war reconstruction while working to foster peace and global stability. The IBA was structured as a forum through which a diverse group of lawyers from around the world could debate and exchange ideas. The IBA was to be the “United Nations” of the legal profession. From the 57 UN Member States existing in 1947, 52 bar associations gathered to create the IBA. It was a bold idea, founded on the principles of dialogue, engagement and inclusion. Today, sixty years later, the IBA is the world’s leading and largest organisation of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. It has grown to a membership of 30,000 individual lawyers and 195 bar associations and law societies spanning all continents. In a myriad of ways, the IBA influences the development of international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession throughout the world. It does so as a non-political organisation. Like the UN, the IBA must forge consensus and alliances among its member states, which represent different legal systems, religions, ethnic groups, nationalities, political views, and races. Unlike the UN, however, the IBA is independent and thus undeterred from speaking out on rule of law and human rights issues. Through its Human Rights Institute (HRI), the Association continues to address human rights violations around the world. The IBA’s Annual Conference, like that of other global bodies, is held in a different venue each year to ensure regional engagement and geographic diversity. By this pattern, the 2007 Annual Conference was assigned to Asia, and Singapore was selected in 2004 by a vote of the Association’s governing Council – represented by the 195 member bar associations and law societies. Our host will be the Law Society of Singapore, the President of which is the distinguished writer and lawyer Philip Jeyaretnam. It is not uncommon that countries selected to host IBA events are themselves challenged to adhere to international human rights norms and laws. The IBA has held, or supported, events in Nigeria, Mexico, Jordan, the UAE, Russia, Iraq, Peru, Malawi, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Swaziland, Colombia, the former Yugoslavia, Poland, the West Bank and Gaza, Cambodia, Venezuela, and China, all countries struggling to uphold the rule of law. Yet, the IBA’s very presence has allowed us to engage the legal profession on the importance of governance, transparency and the rule of law. Last year, the IBA held its Annual Conference in the United States. A number of people questioned the reasoning behind our decision to hold a conference in a country whose government had committed egregious violations of international law. Again, the IBA used the Chicago event to initiate a dynamic and open debate about the U.S. role in the international community. We will seek the same degree of openness at our 2007 Conference. All sessions, whether addressing commercial, professional or human rights issues, will be characterised by debate and dialogue. Any lawyer from any country in the world can speak – and they typically do. In Singapore, for the first time in the history of the IBA, an entire day will be dedicated to the Rule of Law. The Rule of Law Day, open to all interested attendees, will encourage active audience participation and address such issues as: ( 1) the meaning and importance of the rule of law; (2) social and economic development and the rule of law; (3) the Asian perspective of the rule of law; and (4) ways in which lawyers, corporations and law societies contribute to building the rule of law. This unique day will be complemented by innovative sessions throughout the week, including a showcase programme on the importance of the rule of law to international business, and a session on the relationship between religion and the rule of law. The week will also include a special meeting, funded by the Japan Government, of the region’s developing bar associations to discuss rule of law issues. We look forward to an open and frank debate in Singapore on a wide variety of legal topics affecting not only Singapore and the region but the international community as a whole. Yours Sincerely,
Mr Fernando
Pombo
Mr Fernando
Peláez-Pier
Mr Akira
Kawamura
Mr David W
Rivkin
Mr Martin
Solc
Mr Mark
Ellis
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