By Gbolahan Gbadamosi

A landmark event will take place in the annals  of International Bar Association IBA conference, as Dubai, United Arab Emirates Capital hosts the gathering  this year as the first Middle East country to do so . The conference which kicks off October 30 will end November 4 .

Nine years ago, South Africa made the same history when it hosted the conference as the first country in Africa.

Participants from various countries are expected to attend. Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), president  Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), Lagos State Governor Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), among others are to be confronted with  the issues of Press Freedom in the face of Wikileaks disclosures, Arabs Spring, Rule of Law, Sports Law, Death Penalty Question, Terrorism, Corruption and so on.

The opening ceremony which will be held under the auspices  of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai will have Nobel Laureate, seasoned diplomat and international lawyer, Dr.Mohammed El Baradei as Keynote Speaker.

El Baradei served three term as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), an autonomous intergovernmental organization under the auspices of the United Nations.

His international reputation soared when IAEA under him asserted that Saddam Hussain’s regime in Iraq had no plan to revive nuclear weapons programme despite the former US President George Bush’s insistence. Bush relied on this to lead a coalition to overthrow the regime of  Hussain. Subsequently, he, (El Baradei), was proved right by the Security Council .

In October 2005, ElBaradei and the IAEA were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts “to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and  to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safety possible way.”

This year (2011) he emerged as a high profile opposition figure in the Egyptian protests that culminated in Hosni Mubarak’s resignation .

IBA’s President Akira  Kawamura in his welcome address posted on IBA’s website felt honoured to invite the participants in “Dubai, the very first to be  held in the Middle East. It is especially pleasing, and important, that we are in the Middle East this year, at such an exciting time of change and opportunity for the region, giving all our delegates the opportunity to gain real insight in the changing relationships between the region and the wider world.

“ I have no doubt that our vast network of legal professionals from all over the world will have a wonderful experience here in the United Arab Emirates, with its exotic landscape and architecture”.

Some of the IBA Showcase Sessions are : The legal aspects on the use of social media and control over the flow of information. It cut across : Human Right Institute(HRI), Media Law Committee, Rule of Law Action Group and Legal Practice Division (LPD).

The panel here will discuss the Wikileaks disclosures, the use of twitter and other media by citizen journalists and how states are responding to the dissemination of information brought about this new technology.

The panel will also address efforts to protect confidentially free speech rights, freedom of information laws and flow of information to the public.

Yours sincerely, who is the immediate past Chairman, Lawyers in the Media (LIM) will use the session to bring to the attention of the global legal practitioners who are also in to media law about the history and the eventual enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI)Act 2011.

IBA which was established in 1947 is the world leading organization of international legal practitioners and law societies. It influences the development of international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession throughout  the world.

IBA has a membership of over 30,000 individual lawyers and more than 195 bar associations and law societies spanning all continents.

To demonstrate IBA’S commitment to the  rule of law, its Executive Director, Mark Ellis  seven months ago visited Jordan’s Prime Minister, Dr.  Marouf Bakhit in Amman, Jordan where he discussed issues  of mutual interest ahead of the global confab.

During the meeting Bakhit showed his government’s interest to work with the IBA in capacity building and creating training programmes to improve Jordan’s legal services.
Ellis also met Jordan’s Minister of Justice, Hussein Mujalli, the Foreign Minister Nasser Judel and some Jordan’s prominent lawyers.

According to Ellis at the meeting “ the meetings with Jordan’s Government ministers and lawyers have  been very encouraging. There was much interest in the work the IBA in conducting  in the Middle East, our future plans and the forthcoming IBA Annual conference.

“The news that this will be the first time in the 64-year old history of the IBA that our flagship event will be held in the Middle East was welcomed by all”.

Average Regional Attendance of IBA conference between 2007 to 2010 reveals that Europe has 43 percent, North America with 16 percent, Asia and Australia combined has 15 percent.

Latin America is credited with 12 percent while Africa has 14 percent attendance ratio.