81st Anniversary of the Inter-American Bar Association

The Inter-American Bar Association was founded 81years ago, on May 16, 1940, by a group of distinguished lawyers representing forty four professional organizations from different countries of the Western Hemisphere to establish relations among legal organizations, to share knowledge and exchange ideas, promote uniform laws and jurisprudence, and uphold the honor of the legal profession.

Presently, we celebrate our institutional history and legacy as an independent forum dedicated to share knowledge of the law and legal issues with our hemispheric and European members and partners, to share information and professional opinions, to promote uniform laws, as well as to promote and advance the Rule of Law, access to justice, democratic principles, and defend the independence of the legal profession.

The IABA has observer status before United Nations forums and is also duly recognized and registered with the Organization of American States (OAS) as a Civil Association playing an important role in the international legal arena. We strive to maintain and grow our institutional presence and have real impact in advancing the Rule of Law and access to justice. To further our mission, we have become a member of the Law Societies’ Compact and Forum for SDG 16” Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, which is hosted by the World Bank, and has been created to amplify the voice of law societies and lawyers around the world to advance the Rule of Law, access to justice, and sustainable development.

The IABA has not been immune to the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected individuals and institutions worldwide. Nevertheless, we have stood strong and have continued with our work holding our 56th Annual Conference in an unprecedented totally virtual format and continued with our academic programs and governance meetings with the invaluable collaboration of our Specialized Committees and Chapters, as well as our partners.

Personally, and on behalf of the IABA, we thank and congratulate all our leaders, members, and partners for their invaluable contributions, and we also would like to honor our members who have passed away.

We send our warmest greetings to all our individual and institutional members on this special occasion!  

Roberto Flores de la Rosa                                                    Lourdes Escaffi Venes
President                                                                                 Secretary General