We want peaceful skies: IBA Director met with UNBA representatives

Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association (IBA), held a working meeting with Ukrainian National Bar Association representatives during his official visit to Ukraine.

The meeting was held on August 30 at the UNBA office (3 Borysoglibska St., Kyiv). The leadership of the Bar's Higher Qualification and Disciplinary Commission, the UNBA Secretariat, and the Kyiv City Bar Council spoke to the distinguished guest.

In particular, Vadym Krasnyk, Head of the UNBA Secretariat, noted the IBA's systematic support to the UNBA projects. In particular, he mentioned providing an uninterruptible power supply to the bar self-government bodies and establishing the invincibility points in the regional bar councils. "It is expected that this year's winter will be just as severe, so the devices we received will once again become the technical basis for the uninterrupted operation of the Bar," said the UNBA Head of the Secretariat.

He also thanked for the assistance provided by the international community of lawyers through the work of the Board of Trustees. He handed over the materials of the Report on Charitable Assistance to Ukrainian Lawyers from February 2022 to August 2023 (to be published soon).

Serhiy Vilkov, Chairman of the HQCJC, spoke about the measures taken to organize the work of the qualification and disciplinary commissions of the Bar during the war. "Today, the qualification and disciplinary chambers of the bar self-government bodies are operating regularly. During martial law, we have ensured both open access to the legal profession and compliance with high activity standards through fair and open disciplinary procedures," he said. "Special attention should be paid to the digitization of the array of information stored since the functioning of the HQCJ under the Cabinet of Ministers and the activities of the Bar under the 1992 law. Here, we cannot but note the significant role of the IBA in creating the necessary technical conditions. It is the preservation of the history of our Bar from wartime threats, and it is the confirmation of work experience, it is the provision of guarantees of activity."

Mark Ellis, in turn, assured of his support for the initiatives of the Ukrainian National Bar Association, especially those related to assisting colleagues during the war. He said he greatly appreciated the UNBA's position in this matter, noting that not all the bar associations in other countries have such openness.

At the end of the meeting, the IBA Executive Director was shown the drawings of children of advocates submitted within the framework of the "Victory of Children's Hearts" competition. The distinguished guest expressed his admiration for the exhibition, so he was offered to choose one as a memento of his visit to Kyiv. Mark Ellis chose a work by eight-year-old Danylo Svezhyi with the eloquent title "I Want a Peaceful Sky". The lawyer promised to hang the drawing in his office as a symbol of the war in Ukraine and also wrote a letter of gratitude to the young artist.

The International Bar Association (IBA) is a reputable organization that brings together legal practitioners, bar associations, and law societies worldwide. It was founded in 1947. Currently, the IBA has over 80 thousand individual lawyers and 200 bar associations and law societies as members. The IBA is headquartered in London.

It is the third time that Mr. Ellis has visited the UNBA. The first two visits were in August 2022 and February 2023.