Women judges from around the world will gather in Auckland from 7-10 May 2020 when the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) holds its biennial conference.
The IAWJ is a charitable organisation dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights and in particular those of women and girls. It is committed to upholding the rule of law and to the concept of equal justice everywhere and for everyone.
Attendance at the 2020 conference is open to all members of the legal profession, including academics and law students. The full cost for non-judges is $1,970, including the opening cocktail function and gala dinner. There are reduced fees for young lawyers, academics and students ($895 for the full conference without social functions).
The IAWJ has over 6,000 members from some 110 jurisdictions and from all levels of the court hierarchy. The biennial conferences form an important part of the IAWJ’s mission, building bridges between those from different legal systems, languages and cultures and creating a space to share and promote best practice.
The theme of the 2020 conference is celebrating diversity. Organisers say it will provide an opportunity, rare in New Zealand, to listen to and meet judicial and thought leaders from around the world and to experience a global perspective on three major topics – indigenous issues, human rights and diversity in the courts. The New Zealand Law Foundation has provided support in bringing our keynote speakers to New Zealand.
These speakers include:
- Baroness Brenda Hale, recently retired President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom;
- Rt Hon Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme,
- Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and expert on climate change;
- Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, criminal jurist and author of Eve was Framed: Women and British Justice;
- Justice Andromache Karakatsanis of the Supreme Court of Canada;
- Justice Kudirat Kerekere-Ekun of the Supreme Court of Nigeria;
- Chief Justice Meaza Ashenafi of the Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia;
- Professor Larissa Behrendt from the University of Technology Sydney, an expert on decolonisation and the empowerment of Aboriginal women; and
- Professor James Hathaway from the University of Michigan, an expert on international refugee law.
There are also judicial speakers from around the world, to provide a truly global perspective.
Registrations are open for New Zealand residents. The organisers invite members of the New Zealand legal profession to register.