ANNUAL REPORT 2020
BOARD OF ADVISERS The Board of Advisers provides expert advice to the Assembly, the Standing Committee and the Director-General. Members of the Board, who are elected by the Assembly of Parties, serve as independent experts with competencies on rule of law and development. In 2020, five new members – Dr. Ruth Aura-Odhiambo, H.E. Mehmet Hasan Göğüş, Dr. Hoang Ly Anh, Mr. Stefano Manservisi and Prof. Githu Muigai – were elected by the Assembly to replace outgoing members whose terms had expired. The Assembly expressed its appreciation to the outgoing members for their years of service to the Organization.
Dr. Ruth Aura-Odhiambo, Jurist, Senior Lecturer and Dean of the Faculty of Law, Egerton University, Nakuru
Mr. Stefano Manservisi, Special Advisor to the European Union Commissioner for Economy and Chair of the Governing Board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF)
Mr. Hassane Cisse, Former Director, Governance and Inclusive Institutions, Governance Global Practice, World Bank
Prof. Githu Muigai, Jurist, Professor of Law and Practitioner in Public International Law, University of Nairobi
H.E. Mehmet Hasan Göğüş, Ambassador, former Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey
Mr. Patrick O’Brien, Owner and Managing Partner of the California law firm O’Brien Law, PC
As of November 2020
Dr. Hoang Ly Anh, Acting Head of Department for Research Management and Journal Administration, Hanoi Law University
Ms. Zhou Xiaoyan, Senior Consultant of China Council for International Investment Promotion and Research Fellow, Qsinghua University, Beijing
2020 Assembly of Parties In November 2020, the annual meeting of the Assembly of Parties was held virtually for the first time, due to restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the meeting, the Assembly of Parties approved by consensus IDLO’s new Strategic Plan for 2021–2024, the Management Plan for 2021–2022 and the Operating Budget for 2021, as presented by the Director-General. The Assembly commended the Director-General for the progress made during 2020 in driving evidence-based thought leadership; pursuing broader and innovative partnerships and enhancing people-centered approaches; building a strong, cohesive team; and ensuring the cost effective and accountable use of resources, despite the challenging environment. Parties unanimously praised the Organization for its response to the pandemic and expressed strong support for its new Strategic Plan 2021-2024. In her welcome address, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, H.E. Emanuela Del Re, underlined IDLO’s relevance in times of crises and its crucial role in “contributing to global efforts to promote peace and development through the rule of law, protect the most vulnerable, and move towards more inclusive, sustainable and resilient societies.” Following the adoption of the Strategic Plan 2021–2024 by the Assembly of Parties, IDLO held an online thematic discussion around the substantive priorities of the plan. The event brought together high-level speakers including Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization; H.E. Munir Akram, President, United Nations Economic and Social Council; Hon. Gamal Mohammed Hassan M.P., Minister of Planning, Investment
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and Economic Development, Federal Republic of Somalia; and Dr. Ghizaal Haress, Ombudsperson, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The conversation focused on the challenges and opportunities for ‘Partnering to Advance the Rule of Law in Challenging Times’. The Assembly also reminded Member States of their commitment under Article VIII of the Establishment Agreement to grant IDLO rights, privileges and immunities comparable to those provided by Italy in the Headquarters Agreement in support of IDLO’s activities in their territory. It called upon Member States that have not yet done so to undertake as a priority the swift conclusion of a Host Country Agreement and urged Member States to support IDLO in its efforts to conclude Host Country Agreements, including with non-member countries in which the Organization has operations. The following Member Parties were elected to the governing bodies: • Pakistan as President of the Assembly of Parties to serve for a three-year term, expiring at the 2023 annual meeting of the Assembly of Parties • The United States to serve as Vice-President of the Assembly of Parties to serve for a three-year term, expiring at the 2023 annual meeting of the Assembly of Parties • Ecuador and Senegal as ad hoc members of the Standing Committee to serve two-year terms, expiring at the 2022 annual meeting of the Assembly of Parties • China, Kenya and the United States as members of the Audit and Finance Committee to serve two-year terms, expiring at the 2022 annual meeting of the Assembly of Parties.
