The ICJ’s Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) brings together global legal and policy expertise and connections to relevant UN bodies and international legal professional associations, from its Legal and Policy Office in Geneva, with on-the-ground experience and legal insight from each of the ICJ’s regional programmes.
The CIJL leads global policy development and legal analysis, for and on behalf of the ICJ, on all aspects of the independence and accountability of judges, lawyers and prosecutors, as well as their essential role in securing the rule of law and legal protection for human rights.
The CIJL also publishes guidance to legal practitioners, participates in expert meetings and standard-setting processes of UN and other international bodies, and serves as a forum for cross-regional exchange of experience and expertise.
The CIJL organizes the annual ICJ Geneva Forum on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.
The CIJL maintains a list of key international and regional standards.
The members of the CIJL are:
Justice Mavedzenge, Global Lead on IJL and Coordinator of CIJL, ICJ Africa Regional Programme
Carlos Lopez, Director of the ICJ Business & Human Rights Programme, CIJL Member on behalf of the ICJ Central America Office
Reema Omer, Senior Legal Adviser, ICJ Asia & the Pacific Regional Programme
Temur Shakirov, Senior Legal Adviser, ICJ Europe and Central Asia Regional Programme
Carolina Villadiego, ICJ Legal and Policy Adviser for Latin America
Every year, the CIJL convenes the Geneva Forum of Judges and Lawyers. The Forum provides participants – who are representatives of the legal profession from around the world – with an opportunity to reflect upon and respond to immediate threats to their independence and ability to protect human rights by judicial means.
Contact the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers:
Matt Pollard, Senior Legal Adviser, t: +41 22 979 38 12 ; e: matt.pollard(a)icj.org