In 2022, the Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative released a significant joint report, The Edge of Law: A regional approach to confronting key legal challenges. The Report synthesised the findings of a path breaking virtual dialogue series hosted by BHRC and ABA ROLI between November 2021 and March 2022 (all four sessions available on YouTube), addressing specific dimensions of forced labour/modern slavery, sanctions, data security/ digital privacy, and judicial independence in Asia, with discussions designed to speak to the overarching question: What is the role of the legal profession in protecting human rights and the Rule of Law?
Chaired alternately by a senior representative of BHRC and ABA ROLI, each of the virtual dialogues were designed to conclude with solid, actionable steps that participants and other stakeholders can import into regional law practice and policymaking. For each event, BHRC invited speakers from and based in Asia, Australia, the UK, Canada, and the US. All speakers were experts in their fields and addressed human rights concerns in Asia, with a focus on international law and the rule of law. Our discussions were highly interactive in nature and exceptionally well-attended by members of the legal profession, regional Bar Associations and Law Societies, the judiciary, civil society and NGO representatives, human rights defenders, writers, and academics.
From within the region, the sessions welcomed participants from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Thailand, and Viet Nam. From the wider international community, participants logged in from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Fiji, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Malawi, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Spain, the Solomon Islands, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Zambia.
This key report, which synthesised the observations, challenges and opportunities that emerged from the four Edge of Law panel discussions, constitutes a decisive blueprint for practitioner-led action and empowerment in the region. The recommendations annexed to this report are a distillation of the rich analysis of the rapporteurs and report authors, woven throughout the sections of this work. The Founder of Rights Reimagined is one of the authors and editors of the report, and was proud to convene this important discussion series and publication for the Bar Human Rights Committee.
Download the report here.
