Submitted by Section Co-Chair, Elizabeth Campbell
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 4
September 27, 2012
Guest Speaker: Anna Johnston
Synopsis: Ms. Johnston spoke about the work of, the challenges facing, and her experience working with, the Institute for Law and Environmental Governance in Nairobi, Kenya.
November 22, 2012
Guest Speaker: Alison Hopkins and Heather Wojcik
Synopsis: Both speakers talked about their experience as interns with the CBA Young Lawyers International Program, 2011-12. Ms. Hopkins interned at the Legal Resources Centre in Durban, South Africa. Ms. Wojcik interned at the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic in Georgetown, Guyana.
February 21, 2013
Guest Speaker: Ai Li Lim and Suki Sunger
Synopsis: The speakers discussed the UN Police and the Rule of Law projects in South Sudan. Cst. Sunger, a Vancouver Police officer, was on a UN mission to train, mentor and advise local police. Ms. Lim worked in South Sudan with the International Rescue Committee managing their rule of law project.
June 17, 2013
Guest Speaker: Rob Hughes and Aleksandra Djordjevic
Synopsis: We co-hosted this event with the Refugee Law Subsection and SOGIC. The speakers addressed international human rights developments and handling refugee claims for LGBTQ persons.
Comments and Observations of the Chair
In addition to hosting speakers, the International Assistance Section has a long history of providing used legal texts to human rights organizations abroad. This year, we provided specifically requested texts to Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa and the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic. This is one way in which this Section is unique and provides CBA members with the opportunity to reflect on how fortunate we are in Canada and share that with legal organizations that are struggling to make a difference in difficult circumstances.