LAWASIA Annual Conference – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
25 October 2024
From 12-15 October 2024, Law Council President Greg McIntyre SC attended the LAWASIA Annual Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, together with Dr James Popple, CEO and Charlotte Stubbs, Executive Policy Lawyer, International. The Conference was held in parallel with the biennial 19th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific, which was attended by Chief Justices and senior judges from 28 jurisdictions.
During the Conference, the President attended the meeting of the LAWASIA Executive Committee and represented the Law Council at the LAWASIA Annual Council Meeting, at which Mr McIntyre SC was re-elected as a member of the LAWASIA Executive Committee for 2025. The Council Meeting was attended in-person by representatives from a record number of jurisdictions – Australia, Bangladesh, China, England, Fiji, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam – and adopted resolutions on data protection in the context of artificial intelligence, respect for international rule of law in times of conflict, and modern slavery in the Asia-Pacific region.
The President participated as a panellist in a session on Economic, social and cultural rights and technology in which he highlighted some of the Law Council’s recent work in relation to economic, social and cultural rights, including the submission to the Inquiry into economic self-determination and opportunities for First Nations Australians and the submission on A new legislative framework to address and protect Indigenous cultural and intellectual property. President McIntyre also spoke about challenges relating to human rights and technology, including risks arising from the introduction of digital technologies in social protection systems, the need to make sure legislation and policies to protect privacy keep pace with technological developments, and the importance of addressing barriers to digital inclusion.
The President also moderated a session on Directions in indigenous rights movements: country reports, constitutional recognition, and native title which featured explored native title and Indigenous rights cases and recent developments in Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. He also chaired a meeting of the LAWASIA Indigenous Peoples and Communities Committee.
In the margins of the substantive conference sessions, the Law Council met bilaterally with the Malaysian Bar, the Bar Association of India, the Law Society of Singapore, the German Federal Bar and the Law Society of England and Wales, as well as with the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Her Excellency Ms Danielle Heinecke.
Last Updated on 08/01/2025