HumanRightsConference attendees are invited to participate in this general meeting of the IBAHRI. During the meeting, IBAHRI Director Baroness Kennedy and IBAHRI Co-Chairs Anne Ramberg Dr Jur hc and Mark Stephens CBE will discuss IBAHRI’s programmes and topical issues regarding human rights today. The discussion will be open to questions and suggestions related to the past, present and future work of the IBAHRI.

All Division members are encouraged to attend this meeting and are invited to put to the Officers any questions they may have, relevant to the work of the Division.

Announcement: Legal Practice Division General Meeting Agenda, 3 November 2022, Miami, Florida, USA
In accordance with the Legal Practice Division (LPD)  By-Laws, Article 7.3 this serves as notice of the LPD General Meeting that will take place on Thursday 3 November at the time of the IBA 2022 Annual Conference in Miami. Please click the link under "Session handouts" below to download and view the meeting agenda. This meeting will elect the Principal Officers and Council members of the Division. All Legal Practice Division members are eligible to attend the meeting. 
 

HumanRightsConflicts between regional courts and national courts/governments (eg the recent Alex Saab extradition case involving Cape Verde and the ECOWAS court) and government failures to comply with the judgements of regional courts like the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and the (now neutered) SADC Tribunal – this has potential implications for the AfCFTA.

This session will address the current state of international economic sanctions laws, including the impact on trade, financial services, technology, and transportation. The panel will focus, in particular, on the impact of counter-sanctions and blocking programmes, including those of the People’s Republic of China and European Union, and how to navigate circumstances in which such laws conflict. As part of that discussion, this panel will address the role of the attorney in advising on sanctions compliance, particularly where there is a conflict of laws, and how attorneys can mitigate their own professional risk under such circumstances.

The panel will explore the types of alleged wrongdoing on which multi-lateral banks are currently focusing, as well as the latest updates on their investigative methods and potential consequences, including suspension and debarment. 

Geospatial information is vital for national development, policy and decision-making, programs and projects, and to achieve sustainable social, environmental and economic development.  While geospatial information is able to be presented in many forms and mediums, its main strength is that it provides the integrative platform for all digital data that has a location dimension to it. Collaborative information systems that are comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated, underpinned by geospatial information technologies and applications, are providing the evidence on where people interact with their place, events and activities. With rapid digital transformation of society and economy, issues, challenges and opportunities related to the acquisition, availability, accessibility and application of geospatial information, are common and experienced across various levels of society, government and economy. The need for sound and enabling policy and legal frameworks on geospatial information management to address these issues  has become more critical as the acquisition and application of geospatial data become increasingly innovative and creative arising from new and emerging technologies, devices and solutions. 

Since 2017, the UN-GGIM Working Group on Policy and Legal Frameworks for Geospatial Information Management, has been actively developing mechanisms for Member States to address the complex issues related to geospatial information, including custodianship, authority and authoritative data, open data, personal data, data privacy and confidentiality, data licensing, data security and geospatial data for public good. The panel shall discuss such activities, explain how the acquisition, availability, accessibility, and application of geospatial information can be addressed, and how the UN-GGIM is supporting  Member States to that regard.

While Covid-19 has been the greatest global catastrophe since World War II, the unprecedented needs of humankind have imposed multiple changes in the healthcare and life sciences industries. The traditional supply chain models have been rapidly surpassed, scientific research made notable progress, the funds invested in the industries have soared and telemedicine has come to stay. The healthcare and life sciences industries have a new face and are exposed to challenges which were almost unknown up to very recent times. Those are some of the issues this session is going to address, with special emphasis on the role of policy-makers, regulators and lawyers.

A changing climate is having direct impacts on variability of water supply for drinking, agricultural, mining and other activities. Like other natural resources, as supplies change or become more scarce, there is a need to unlock new supplies that may have previously been considered too expensive or difficult to access. This panel will explore different and innovative methods around the world allowing access to additional sources of water, including reuse, desalinisation, changes in ownership regimes, underground basin infiltration, transporting ice water and other methods of developing supplies.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for significant developments in working practices. Most organisations regarded the initial sudden shift to remote working as a temporary emergency measure, often implementing major changes without a systematic assessment of the risks and opportunities. This panel will explore key practical and compliance implications of remote and hybrid work, including employment law considerations, cybersecurity, data protection, and dependence on cloud services. In addition to downside risks, we will consider potential benefits of these new ways of working.

The aftermath of a global pandemic, economic crises, and political changes result in an ever-changing list of headaches for in-house counsel. A panel of senior in-house counsel talk about the key issues that keep them up at night.

DiversityInclusionThe pandemic has disrupted the lives of many and has had a major impact on workplaces across the globe. As countries emerge from the pandemic in 2022, we take stock of what Covid-19 has meant for diversity and equality and whether Covid-19 has been an unexpected diversity catalyst for positive change or has had a disproportionate impact on certain sectors and further entrenched disadvantage? In either case, governments and the public and private sector have a crucial role to play in developing diversity responsive recovery policies and initiatives, to ensure we 'build forward fairer' consistent with the ILO's global call to action for a human-centred recovery from the Covid-19 crisis that is 'inclusive, sustainable and resilient.' This session will cover:  - socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on global labour markets and workplaces  - case studies from across the globe  - role of governments and the public and private sectors in developing and implementing diversity-responsive policies and initiatives for the Covid-19 recovery.

From global law firms to local practices, differences in a lawyer's ethical obligations and the cultural underpinnings of those obligations impact the way in which ethical obligations in law practices are implemented. This panel considers the complexities of adhering to ethical obligations within and across jurisdictions, and discusses strategies to assist in lawyers fulfilling their ethical obligations.

Anti-corruption violations can impact materially the value and appropriateness of M&A and other transactions. Each potential investment poses its own unique constellation of anti-corruption and other compliance risks and therefore requires a tailored approach to ensuring appropriate due diligence. This panel will discuss best practices for assessing and mitigating anti-corruption risk in the transactional context, leading to better results for clients.

In this session the panel will debate on how we have evolved from the old and by all desired total secrecy and the adage “Vivons heureux, vivons cachés” in private wealth matters, to a form of total transparency towards the (tax) authorities and banks. In a world where “secrecy” is nowadays sometimes even seen as suspicious, the private client (tax) lawyer will have to guide and direct his client on how to abide by all the new and demanding regulations on information exchange and disclosure such as UBO registry, KYC compliance regulations, DAC6 and other comparable reporting obligations, thereby continuously protecting and safeguarding his client’s privacy within the legal limitations that remain.
 

The growing US offshore wind market attracts the interest of international players, but what are the Jones Act implications? Most installation vessels are foreign flagged and how are the players of the industry dealing with this?

An open meeting of the International Construction Projects Committee held to discuss matters of interest and future activities.

An open meeting of the IBA Global Employment Institute held to discuss matters of interest and future activities.

An open meeting of the Immigration and Nationality Law Committee held to discuss matters of interest and future activities.

An open meeting of the Professional Ethics Committee held to discuss matters of interest and future activities.