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BHRC was proud to partner with the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) on a series of four virtual dialogues held between November 2021-March 2022, through which BHRC and ABA ROLI sought to and succeeded in creating a regional platform where practitioners, academics, civil society actors and policymakers could openly discuss some of the most acute challenges to the rule of law in Asia, contributing to and building regional consensus on the human rights realities in Hong Kong, China, India, and other Central and Southeast Asian countries.
The Edge of Law was a path-breaking series that addressed 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 and ABA ROLI invited speakers from and based in Asia, Australia, the UK, Canada, and the US. 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, BHRC is proud to share that we 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.
The report emerging from the series will be published in September 2022, synthesising the observations, challenges and opportunities that emerged from our Edge of Law discussions and generating a decisive blueprint for practitioner-led action and empowerment in the region. We look forward to welcoming BHRC Members and guests to the virtual launch event on 28 September 2022 at 12:00 – 14:00 (UK time). Register now on Zoom!
