IBA Rule of Law

The rule of law through the eyes of young people

Launched in 2026 as a Presidential Initiative of IBA President Claudio Visco, the IBA Rule of Law Educational Project was created to give secondary school students the opportunity not only to learn about the rule of law, but also to discuss its principles, question how they operate in practice, and ultimately explain them in their own words.

The first edition was piloted in Denmark in close collaboration with the Danish Bar and Law Society, under the presidency of Martin Lavesen. Between February and May 2026, the project reached more than 400 students across seven schools and fourteen classes, with a dedicated one-day workshop delivered to each participating class.

From the classroom to the screen

During the workshops, students aged 15–19 explored core principles of the rule of law through interactive teaching, practical dilemmas, and group discussion. Lawyers from Human Rights in Action supported the programme on a pro bono basis, helping students connect legal principles with concrete situations and questions they might encounter in society.

Students were also introduced to the IBA Rule of Law video series, which provided inspiration for the final challenge of the day. Working in groups, they were asked to develop their own short video script illustrating a principle of the rule of law and applying what they had learned during the workshop.

From the scripts submitted, five groups were selected to see their ideas professionally produced as films, with the students themselves bringing their concepts to the screen.

Watch the students’ films

The five videos below are the result.

Each approaches the rule of law from a different perspective, reflecting the students’ own ideas, creativity, and understanding of how its principles operate in practice.

Bringing the programme to other jurisdictions

The IBA Rule of Law Educational Project has been designed with future implementation in other jurisdictions in mind. The programme can be made available to interested bar associations and other partners together with ready-to-use teaching materials, providing a framework that can be delivered locally while being adapted, where necessary, to the legal, educational, and cultural context of each jurisdiction.

Organisations interested in exploring the possibility of implementing the programme in their jurisdiction are invited to contact Alexia Dubreu, IBA Project Lawyer, at Alexia.Dubreu@int-bar.org.