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Latest News

U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg presented with World Peace & Liberty Award

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The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, was presented with the World Peace & Liberty Award by the World Jurist Association and the World Law Foundation on Friday, February 7 at the American Bar Association. As the second woman nominated to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg was chosen in recognition of her contributions to gender equality and civil rights.

“Judges are human, and the natural state of humankind is imperfection. But despite our fallibility, it is our sacred charge to uphold the law and to administer justice fairly to all persons, no matter how powerful or small. In the years remaining to me on the United States Supreme Court bench, I will strive to do just that,” Justice Ginsburg said in accepting the award.

Javier Cremades, President of the World Jurist Association and the World Law Foundation, said, “Throughout her life, Justice Ginsburg has championed gender equality and civil rights. We are excited to recognize her exceptional achievements and honor her unfailing commitment to strengthening the rule of law.”

The World Peace & Liberty Award recognizes world leaders who have excelled in promoting peace through law. The distinction is a testament of society’s gratitude and support for the recipient’s unwavering commitment to uphold the Rule of Law, thus guaranteeing freedom. Throughout its history, and as a precursor to the World Law Foundation, the World Jurist Association has awarded individuals such as Sir Winston Churchill, René Cassin and Nelson Mandela. Last year, the King of Spain, Felipe VI received the award at the World Law Congress in Madrid.

The award ceremony for Justice Ginsburg took place at the American Bar Association in Washington D.C. “The American Bar Association will forever be grateful for Justice Ginsburg’s outstanding public service and her numerous, continuing contributions on behalf of equal justice for all under the rule of law,” ABA President Judy Perry Martinez said at the ceremony.

Related links:

–World Peace & Liberty Award a Magistrada de la Corte Suprema de EEUU Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Eventos Jurídicos).

–Ginsburg to present award named for her to philanthropist (Legal News)

–`World Peace & Liberty Award´ a Magistrada de la Corte Suprema de EEUU Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Lawyerpress)

–Ginsburg to Present Award Named for Her to Philanthropist (The New York Times)

–Ginsburg to Present Award Named for Her to Philanthropist (U.S. News)

–Javier Cremades entrega el “World Peace & Liberty Award” a la juez de la Corte Suprema de EE.UU. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (ConfiLegal)

–La juez Ruth Bader Ginsburg: una pionera de la igualdad de género (El Mundo)

–`World Peace & Liberty Award´ a Magistrada de la Corte Suprema de EEUU Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Law&Trends)

–Ginsburg expresses hope amid a Senate she thinks is ‘divided sharply’ (The Hill)

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Senate exemplifies trend of sticking with ‘one’s own home crowd’ (W Top)

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Senate exemplifies trend of sticking with ‘one’s own home crowd’ (Head Topics)

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Senate exemplifies trend of sticking with ‘one’s own home crowd’ (CNN Politics)

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Senate exemplifies trend of sticking with ‘one’s own home crowd’ (ABC 17 News)

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg ganó el premio “World Peace & Liberty Award” (Cambio 16)

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Senate exemplifies trend of sticking with ‘one’s own home crowd’ (ktvz)

–Ginsburg to present award named for her to philanthropist (Ap News)

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Magistrada de la Corte Suprema de EEUU, Premio Mundial a la Paz y la Libertad de la Asociación Mundial de Juristas (Economist Jurist)

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Premio Mundial a la Paz y la Libertad de la Asociación Mundial de Juristas (Lawyer Press)


COP25 in Madrid: Dialogues on Law and Climate Emergency

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Law as a tool for citizens to fight against climate change

The World Jurist Association and the World Law Foundation organized the ‘Dialogues on Law and Climate Emergency’ on the occasion of the 25º UN Climate Summit. On December 4 & 5, 2019, experts in environmental and energy law analyzed how law can serve society in its fight against climate change.

The first meeting was held at the Green Zone of the UN Climate Summit COP25 in IFEMA. It was led by Javier Cremades, president of the organizing institutions, who said that law is the instrument that society has to face the challenge of climate change. In this regard, Cremades affirmed that “without law we can make little progress and that is why we need the commitment of the whole society, both the fiscal effort and the sense of corporate responsibility, in order to direct the future towards an energy transition that leads us to clean and sustainable energies that make decarbonization a tangible goal”.

Marina Serrano, Of-Coursel of Pérez Llorca, also highlighted the role of jurists in this area. She assured that “they serve society and citizens and, therefore, the environment.” And, in the words of Javier De Cendra Larragán, Dean of IE Law School and Member of the Health and Safety Committee of the International Bar Association, ”climate change has unleashed a cultural debate that requires an adequate framework and regulatory stability for technological development ”.

For Pilar Navarro, partner of Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Sevilla and former Secretary General of Environment and Climate Change of the Junta de Andalucía, the solution to this problem lies “in regulatory stability, in the multilateral investment court and the application of law global administrative ”. And Navarro hopes to reach an environmental pact “to ensure that the planet will be available and sustainable for the next generations”.  To achieve this, she pointed out that “digitalization and technology, combined with the law, will be the horse on which this new transition to a decarbonized and sustainable world is galloping.”

The second day of Dialogues on Law and Climate Emergency, which took place at the headquarters of the news magazine Cambio16, featured Javier Cremades as moderator of the discussion in which Carlos de Miguel, partner of the Environment Department of Uría Menéndez, pointed out the need to establish “a consensus of price and legal security signals”, in addition to “a greater involvement of the public”, since “there is citizen and business awareness, but perhaps it is lower by the public bodies”.

Isabel Coleto, Co-Founder of Talantia and Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, analyzed the industrial situation with respect to pollution, and indicated that zero waste is possible in business facilities thanks to the investments that are being made, but has not forgotten about small and medium-sized businesses, “so important in Spain as they cannot keep up with the environmental requirements that in recent years have proliferated so much in our country and that imply some insecurity for the end that can wait for them”. And is that “SMEs can barely meet the requirements of the regulator and there is an inconsistency between regulation and industrial reality.”

WJA Special Meeting of Members

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On October 14, 2019, members in good standing of the World Jurist Association gathered in Madrid for a Special Meeting. Requested by more than 10% of the members in good standing on July 12, 2019, the Board of Directors was proposed to immediately convene a Special Meeting of Members with following Agenda:

  1. Welcome speech addressed by the WJA Worldwide President Javier Cremades and outline of the main strategies of his mandate.
  2. Restructuring of the Board of Directors: Appointments and Removals.
  3. Question-and-answer session.

Following the procedure established in the WJA By-Laws, a Special Meeting of Members was summoned by WJA Worldwide President Javier Cremades, to be held in Madrid, on October 14, 2019, at the HQs of the international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.

The meeting was attended by members in Good Standing as of July 15, from different countries, in order to take the decisions required to facilitate functioning of the World Jurist Association and to discuss further activities to improve its positive impact on society.

In summary, and after the voting of the General Assembly, the Action Plan 2019-2021 of the WJA Worldwide President was approved, the steps for restructuring the Board of Directors were approved, and new Officers, Presidents and Representatives were designated and appointed as follows:

Congratulations to the newly appointed officials!

Open Call for NGOs to apply for Consultative Status with the United Nations

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As NGO with Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, and in support to ECOSOC, the WJA invites other NGOs interested in applying for ECOSOC consultative status to submit their application and required documents on or before the deadline 1 June 2019. The following link provides background information, the benefits and instructions how to apply: https://bit.ly/2ozYpVw

World Law Congress Madrid 2019

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The World Law Congress

On February 19 – 20, 2019, the World Jurist Association made Madrid the World Jurist Capital during its XXVI Biennial Congress at Teatro Real. Presided by Franklin Hoet-Linares for the period 2017-2019, the WJA organized the World Law Congress under a renovated format ideated by Javier Cremades-García, President of the Organizing Commission and WJA Vice-President for Europe. This edition gathered together different guilts within the legal profession, serving the WJA as umbrella organization for Human Rights, notaries, constitutionalists, registrars, and religious organizations, among others, to co-organize the World Law Congress (WLC).

The presentation of the WJA World Peace & Liberty Award to H.M. King Felipe VI of Spain, in presence of H.M. Queen Letizia of Spain and H.E. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, represented one of the most iconic activities of the World Law Congress Madrid 2019.  On February 20, a 1750-pax plenary at the main room of Teatro Real recognized His Majesty for his unwavering commitment to the Rule of Law and his defense to Democracy and Freedom. During the Ceremony, congratulation videos sent by President of Colombia, H.E. Iván Duque, and former President of East Timor and Peace Nobel Prize Winner 1996, José Ramos Horta, were presented before His Majesty.

A total of 2,300 jurists and personalities from around the world attended the World Law Congress Madrid 2019 and its Side-Events. Nearly 230 speakers of the highest level participated during this event, most of them within the 21 panels carried out on February 19, in 7 simultaneous rooms at Teatro Real. The deliberations performed this day resulted in The Declation of Madrid 2019. Furthermore, during the event, the new logo of the World Jurist Association was presented, resulting in a totally innovative branding. 

The decision of holding the WJA XXVI Biennial Congress in Madrid was taken during the WJA Board meeting held on May 4, 2018 in Munich, Germany. The task was given to Dr. Javier Cremades García, President of Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Lawyers, who presided the Congress with Mr. Javier Solana Madariaga, former Secretary General of OTAN. The coordination of the program was performed by the Director of the WLC and former President of the Constitutional Court of Spain, Dr. Manuel Aragón Reyes. An Organizing Commision of prominent jurists from Spain and other countries, alone with the Co-Organizing institutions, made possible the execution of a magnificent event that made history within the WJA and, furthermore, in Spain.

For Spain, the Congress and the recognition to the democratic institutions through HM the King represented a reason of great pride and transcendence, as well as a unique opportunity to support the evolution of Spanish democracy and its stability, in the framework of the 40th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution. The event had great media impacts, heading all Spanish newspapers and TV news programs, as well as different media throughout the world.

Additional to the main activities at Teatro Real, the Congress included a Side-Event with the Presidents of the European Constitutional Courts on February 18 at the Madrid Bar Association, the celebration of an Ecumenic Act at the Almudena Cathedral with leaders of the main religions of the world on February 19, and the celebration of a WJA General Assambly and the World Law Day at the Malaga Bar Association on February 21.

Finally, and following the WJA tradition, during the WJA General Assembly in Malaga, Dr. Javier Cremades García (Spain), President of the Organizing Commision of the World Law Congress and WJA Vice President for Europe, was designated by the Elections Committee as the new Worldwide President of the World Jurist Association for the period 2019-2021. Additionally, Hon. Jus. Peter Umeadi (Nigeria) was elected as President of the World Association of Judges, Prof. Jesús Becerra (Venezuela-Spain) as President of the World Association of Law Professors, Dr. Javier Lara (Spain), as President of the World Association of Lawyers, and Sven Kohlmier (Germany) as President of the Business Associates Center.

You may visit www.worldlawcongress.com for further information on this fantastic event

New Officers Designated During the General Assembly in Malaga

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Following the WJA tradition and By-Laws, a General Assembly of Members was celebrated during the Closing of the World Law Congress Madrid 2019. This time, all WJA members attending the Madrid conferences were taken to the beautiful city of Malaga, in the Spanish Costa del Sol.

The distinguished embers of the WJA Board of Directors, WJA members and international guests

First, WJA members were received by the Malaga City Mayor at the City Hall, during a lovely cocktail the previous night. Then, on February 21, the General Assembly was hosted by the Malaga Bar Association.

During the WJA General Assembly in Malaga, Dr. Javier Cremades García (Spain), President of the Organizing Commision of the World Law Congress Madrid 2019 and WJA Vice President for Europe, was designated by the Elections Committee as the new Worldwide President of the World Jurist Association for the period 2019-2021 (video). Through different networks, Dr. Cremades had actively cooperated with the World Jurist Association in previous events and was a speaker during the Biennial Congress in Aruba 2017. He was also recognized by our association with the World Jurist Award 2017. Javier is a distinguished Spanish lawyer, with a strong sense of fairness that has led him to defend Human Rights, political rights and minority share holders, among other areas of practice.

Dr. Javier Cremades, new WJA Worldwide President, being congratulated by the Malaga City Mayor, Francisco de la Torre, after receiving the WJA hammer from Past President Dr. Franklin Hoet

Furthermore, Hon. Jus. Peter Umeadi (Nigeria) was re-elected as President of the World Association of Judges. Peter is a longtime very active member of the WJA, has been the Regional President for Africa and the National President for Nigeria.

Prof. Dr. Jesús Becerra (Venezuela-Spain) was designated as President of the World Association of Law Professors. Born in venezuela, Jesús is currently a prominent lecturer of Criminal Law at the Pompeu Fabrá University in Barcelona, Spain, university from which he also obtained his doctorate.

The WJA General Assembly

On the other hand, Dr. Francisco Javier Lara Paláez (Spain), was appointed President of the World Association of Lawyers. Javier Lara is the Dean of the Malaga Bar Association and was an outstanding member of the Organizing Commission of the World Law Congress Madrid 2019.

Finally, Dr. Sven Kohlmier (Germany), was designated President of the Business Associates Center. Sven is member of the House of Representatives of Berlin for the third time. He is a spokesperson for legal issues, network policy and data protection for his group at the House of Representatives of Berlin.

Congratulations to all newly appointed WJA Officers!