Final Programme - International Bar Association

Message from the Chair
of the Public and Professional
Interest Division
About the Public and Professional Interest
Division (PPID)
The PPID contains 18 committees and other entities, including the
IBA Human Rights Institute and the Bar Issues Commission, which
are listed on pages 27–29 of this programme. Between them they
present a wide range of member bodies, providing resources and
activities focused on professional and public interest work.
The PPID’s objectives are to promote an interchange of information
and views among Member Organisations of the Association and its
individual members about the public and professional interests of the
legal profession throughout the world; and to support and promote
those activities, the rule of law and the defence of human rights.
Areas in which the PPID Committees, Fora and Other Entities have
been particularly active in recent times are anti-money laundering,
anti-corruption, pro bono and access to justice, and increasing the
IBA’s connection with intergovernmental world organisations.
More information on the Public and Professional Interest Division
is available at www.ibanet.org/Committees/Divisions/Public_
Professional_Interest_Div/home.aspx
Iam so pleased that you have joined us here in Dublin, a
wonderfully vibrant cultural centre which provides a perfect
setting for our week together.
The Public and Professional Interest Division (PPID) once again
promises to give you access to the latest expertise and debate on
issues integral to the legal profession and also on broader issues
affecting society at large, having prepared excellent sessions that
focus on topics such as legal education, anti-corruption, corporate
social responsibility, judicial independence, and the changing nature
of law firm management among many others.
The diversity of these sessions is typical of the PPID which zeroes in
on the issues that are at the heart of the profession for every lawyer
regardless of experience, specialism and geography. This is particularly
exemplified through the inclusion of other issue areas such as the rule
of law and professional ethics as well as particular interest groups
such as young lawyers, senior lawyers, judges and women lawyers
under the auspices of the PPID.
Our showcase session this year will focus on how the legal
profession can be a worldwide driver and facilitator of the very
difficult social, economic, and political changes that are needed, in
every country in the world, to eliminate the terrible consequences
of poverty: ignorance, disease, economic exploitation of the poor,
and inaccessibility to basic human and civil rights. These changes
– and the response of international organisations like the IBA –
are even more challenging because the best way forward in each
country is shaped by local customs, socio-economic forces, political
environments, and tradition.
Another exciting feature this year is the identification of ‘President
Priority Sessions’ connected to the culmination of the second phase
of the Presidential Task Force on the Global Financial Crisis. These
sessions include not only the PPID Showcase, but also a variety of
other related sessions taking place throughout the week. You can
read more about these sessions and the Task Force on page 15.
I am sure that you will take full advantage of the opportunities
offered to you at this year’s Annual Conference and I very much look
forward to seeing you in Dublin.
Peter D Maynard
Chair, Public and Professional Interest Division
Message from the Chair of the Public and Professional Interest Division
9