The Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) is honoured to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA)
On 27 March 2026 in Osaka, in the premises of the Osaka Bar Association, CLA President Stephen Thiru and UIA President Fernando Hernández Gómez signed a Memorandum of Understanding between both organisations, as well as a joint statement supporting the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyers (the Luxembourg Convention).
Through the MoU, the UIA and the CLA acknowledged their shared commitment to promoting the rule of law, defending human rights, and supporting an independent legal profession and judiciary. To strengthen cooperation and foster exchanges between lawyers from their respective regions, they agreed to collaborate through initiatives such as sharing articles and statements, organising joint activities and observer missions, issuing joint press statements, granting reciprocal observer status at governing meetings, and encouraging participation in each other’s events.
The UIA and the CLA also welcomed the historic adoption of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer. They view it as the first legally binding international instrument dedicated to lawyers, aimed at protecting access to justice, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring compliance through a monitoring mechanism. Both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to promoting the Convention, cooperating on joint initiatives, and advocating for its signature and ratification.
President Fernando Hernández Gómez acknowledged in his speech the importance of this partnership with the CLA and underscored the significance of a strengthened collaboration between the two organisations, as the CLA tirelessly advocates for the rule of law, human rights, and access to justice, and has consistently remained at the forefront of confronting challenges to the principles and values that sustain these ideals, much like the UIA. In a very moving speech, Stephen Thiru also recalled that he was the recipient of the first UIA / LexisNexis Rule of Law Award on behalf of the Malaysian Bar, which he chaired at the time, thus recognising the pivotal role of this Award in preserving the independence of the Malaysian Bar.
This joint Memorandum of Understanding therefore comes at an opportune moment, acting as a foundation for strengthening and advancing the shared advocacy efforts of the CLA and the UIA.
