Launch of the Activities of the UIA Committee on the Promotion of the Convention

The Committee on the Promotion of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer formally launched its activities with its inaugural meeting held on 27 January 2026. Chaired by François Moyse, the Committee has been established to raise awareness and understanding of the Convention, among UIA individual and collective members as well as the legal profession in general, both within UIA and beyond. It also aims to advocate with relevant stakeholders for its prompt ratification and entry into force, as well as its effective implementation, in order to ensure stronger and more effective protection of the legal profession.

The Committee’s main objectives, as reflected in its name, are to promote, increase understanding of, and disseminate the Convention, its principles, and its significance. In pursuit of these goals, the Committee seeks to encourage initiatives that advance the signature and ratification of the Convention, support and implement training and capacity-building programs, monitor developments affecting its application, and engage proactively with relevant national, regional, and international authorities and institutions.

In order to translate these objectives into concrete actions, members, at this first meeting, exchanged information about ongoing efforts in their respective countries and jurisdictions, and shared feedback and proposals with the objective of enhancing the effectiveness of the Committee and promote wider participation, while taking full consideration of UIA’s specific features and in coordination with its current initiatives. Among the initiatives discussed, members mentioned the opportunity of taking advantage of meetings and forums that bring together representatives of bar associations and other national, regional and international lawyers’ organisation where UIA is invited or represented. In this line, very productive exchanges have been established since between Teong Liang Yap, President of Lawasia, and François Moyse, and additional meetings will be scheduled with other international lawyers’ associations in the near future.

As a reminder, the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Lawyers was opened for signatures on 13 May 2025 in Luxembourg. As of 23 February 2026, 27 States member of the Council of Europe have signed the Convention. However, some significant Members States have not yet signed, and no ratification have been registered to date. Further progress is therefore needed to advance both the signature and the ratification process, in order to ensure the prompt entry into force of the Convention1.

For further information about the UIA Committee and its ongoing initiative, please contact rbossa@uianet.org

1To follow the status of signatures of the Convention, see here.