MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRO BONO ADVISORY GROUP
18 February 2010
Attorney-General
Hon Robert McClelland MP
Parliamentary Secretary for
International Development Assistance
Hon Bob McMullan MP
Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, today chaired the third meeting of the International Pro Bono Advisory Group.
The Advisory Group was established by the Attorney-General and the Minister for Foreign Affairs in July last year to promote international pro bono work by Australia’s legal profession and identify linkages with the Government’s international development assistance programs.
The Group brings together a range of private sector lawyers, Government and non-government agencies (NGOs) with expertise in international pro bono and development assistance work.
“Australian lawyers have a significant role to play in promoting the rule of law in our region and the work of the Advisory Group will be crucial in achieving this,” Mr McClelland said.
The Advisory Group agreed to focus on three key priorities to promote and enhance international pro bono work:
- publicising international pro bono opportunities to the Australian legal community;
- supporting practitioners interested in international pro bono work; and
- promoting links between international pro bono providers, governments and NGOs.
To achieve these priorities, the Advisory Group agreed on a number of key actions to better target and coordinate international pro bono work, including:
- developing fact sheets on key issues and ‘lessons learnt’ templates to report on international pro bono projects;
- creating a website portal to provide reference resources and links to brokers and clearing houses providing details of pro bono opportunities; and
- disseminating relevant information and ‘showcasing’ successful international pro bono projects through law societies and bar councils.
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) will inform the Advisory Group about development assistance priorities and programs that are relevant to international legal assistance in order to identify:
- the legal needs in developing countries within the region and which countries are seeking pro bono legal support;
- which legal needs and countries to prioritise; and
- other legal sector assistance providers in partner countries.
The Government commended the legal profession for its active and ongoing involvement in international pro bono work, including firms represented on the Advisory Group that are undertaking projects to assist the development of non government organisations in Indonesia and Kenya on issues such as fraud prevention, governance and HIV discrimination.
“I commend the Advisory Group for its support of Australia’s international development goals and look forward to its future efforts in further facilitating this important work,” Mr McMullan said.
The Advisory Group also welcomed the Government’s decision to hold an International Pro Bono Roundtable to coincide with the 3rd National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference in August this year.
A copy of the strategy paper is attached and available on the Attorney-General’s Department website at http://www.ag.gov.au/internationalprobono
Media Contact: Adam Siddique 0407 473 630
International Pro Bono Advisory Group Strategy Paper [PDF 22KB]
