International Development Law Organization

IDLO participates in first ever meeting of legal organizations in Rome

IDLO will take the lead in organizing a global convention on the rule of law and sustainable development this July, in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The convention was just one the initiatives launched at a meeting- the first of its kind- held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with senior representatives of international law organizations based in Italy. The network of international law organizations in the country includes the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI, based in Turin), the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL, based in Sanremo), the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and the International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences (ISISC, based in Syracuse).

The purpose of the meeting, held at the Ministry’s Palazzo dell Farnesina and addressed by Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Mario Giro and the Secretary General of the Ministry Michele Valensise, was to strengthen collaboration among these organizations in advancing human rights , the rule of law and good governance. A main theme of the discussion was the importance of ensuring that the rule of law and its crucial contribution to progress are fully reflected in the development agenda to be adopted by the United Nations for the post-2015 period.

Other initiatives announced for the second half of this year - the period during which Italy will assume the presidency of the EU- include an event organized by ISISC that will focus on global issues, human rights and international justice, and a meeting to examine governance and democratic participation in the “Arab Spring” countries.