JOINT EVENT

On 27 June 2025, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), the Council of Europe, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg held a joint event entitled “Protecting lawyers to ensure access to justice” at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and online.

The event focused on the essential role of lawyers in safeguarding access to justice and the rule of law, as well as the need to ensure that they can carry out their professional duties independently and safely. It also provided an opportunity to discuss international efforts to strengthen the protection of the legal profession.

The panel brought together Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers; Christoph Henrichs, Chair of the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on the Protection of Lawyers (CJ-AV); Roman Zavrsek, CCBE First Vice-President; Sophie de Graaf, Executive Director of Lawyers for Lawyers; and Ernstine Kornelis, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).

The discussion was moderated by Mark Stephens, IBAHRI Co-Chair.

The event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Representations to UNOG of Andorra, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Estonia, Greece, Moldova, Poland, the Philippines and Ireland, together with the International Commission of Jurists, Lawyers for Lawyers, American Bar Association, Inter-American Bar Association, Pan African Lawyers Union and LAWASIA.