International Projects
Goal VIII / Rule of Law
The American Bar Association has eleven institutional goals; in 1983, the ABA adopted Goal VIII, "to promote the rule of law in the world." The Section has actively contributed to this vital initiative. The Section undertook its first overseas project in 1986 and, in the more than twenty years since, the Section has implemented numerous short- and long-term legal capacity-building projects around the world. The Section's Rule of Law – International Initiatives Board (formerly known as the Technical Assistance Board, which was created in 1999), develops the Section's policy in this area and reviews the development and implementation of the Section's rule of law initiatives.
Through the International Legal Exchange Program (ILEX), the Section arranges briefing trips throughout the world, offers legal assistance and training for foreign lawyers and other professionals, and facilitates entry into the U.S. by foreign attorneys who have been offered training by U.S. law firms.
ABA-UNDP International Legal Resource Center
The ABA-UNDP International Legal Resource Center "ILRC" is the long-standing flagship international project of the Section of International Law. Founded in 1999, the Center is based upon the common commitment of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support and promote good governance and the rule of law around the world. The mission of the ILRC is to provide a legal resource capability to serve UNDP global governance programs and projects supporting legal reform and democratic institution building. Serving as a key liaison between UNDP and the international legal community, the ILRC has provided on-demand research, desktop legislative assessments, and recommendations of legal experts to assist UNDP and national governments in drafting laws, building fundamental institutions, developing the legal profession, and training national officials. Since 1999 the ILRC has assisted over 70 of the 166 UNDP country offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Pacific, paving the way for attorneys, judges, and law professors from around the world to contribute thousands of pro-bono hours. Registration with the ILRC is encouraged for legal professionals of all nations with the knowledge and commitment necessary to advance the rule of law around the globe.
International Bar Leaders’ Delegations
Through the annual International Bar Leaders’ Delegations, delegations composed of senior ABA International leadership visit key legal centers around the world in an effort to strengthen ABA International’s outreach to lawyers’ associations and other groups outside the United States.
