World Law Congress
XXVI WJA Biennial Congress Madrid, Teatro Real, february 19-20 2019
Context
The World Jurist Association (WJA) will make Madrid the capital of the International Legal World during the celebration of its Biennial Congress in February 2019. Globally presided by Franklin Hoet-Linares, the WJA is a Non-Governmental Organization with special consultative status before the United Nations. It stands out as an open forum where judges, lawyers, professors and legal professionals from more than 140 nationalities work and cooperate to reinforce and expand the rule of law.
It was founded in the United States in 1963, based on the original concept ideated by Sir Winston Churchill of “contributing firmly from civil society to strengthen the rule of law.” In 1957, Churchill praised the proposed original program and its objective of strengthening international law and its institutions. Furthermore, the President of the United States of America, Dwight Eisenhower, supported the creation of the World Through Law Center, today WJA, recognizing the need for an organization with these characteristics: “The world has no choice between force and law: if civilization is to survive, it has to choose the force of Law.”
During the WJA Global Council meeting held on May 4, 2018 in Munich, Germany, it was decided to hold the next Biennial World Congress in Madrid, Spain, thus also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution. The incipient Spanish democracy, regulated by its once new Constitution, was presented before the international legal guild at the Biennial Congress of the WJA in Madrid, 1979, by King Emeritus Juan Carlos of Spain, who then Chair the event.
Nowadays, we live in times of great challenges, in a context of global governance crisis. The defense of the rule of law and respect for freedoms take on new importance, demanding the commitment and responsibility from all. In this sense, the WJA has decided to honor its star guest for his role as a guarantor of freedom in Spain.
In its more than 55 years of history, the WJA has awarded notorious international personalities, including Sir Winston Churchill, when the WJA was still a program within the American Bar Association; René Cassin, recognized for his effort in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations; and Nelson Mandela, for his tireless struggle for human rights in South Africa, the latter being later honored with the Nobel Prize.
Organization
An Organizing Committee has been established to plan the event. It will have the integral vision of the project and its follow-up, according to its founding charter. Prestigious personalities of the legal and business worlds integrate the different areas of the Committee: diplomatic, programmatic, technical and communication, financial, and collective and audience management. The members of the Committee are:
Dr. Franklin Hoet Linares
Presidente Global de World Jurist Association
World Jurist Association Worldwide President
Javier Cremades García
Presidente del World Law Congress
President of the World Law Congress
Javier Solana Madariaga
Presidente del World law Congress
President of the World Law Congress
Manuel Aragón Reyes
Director del World Law Congress
Director of the World Law Congress
MIEMBROS / MEMBERS
Luis Abril Pérez
Asesor Sénior en Estrategias Corporativas
Senior Advisor in Corporate Strategies
María Emilia Adán García
Decana del Colegio de Registradores
Dean of the Registrars Bar Association
José María Alonso Puig
Decano del Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid
Dean of the Madrid Bar Association
Sebastián Aznárez López
Abogado de Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados
Lawyer at Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados
José María Beneyto Pérez
Director del Instituto de Estudios Europeos
Director of the Institute of European Studies at Universidad CEU-San Pablo
Ignacio M. Benito García
Socio de Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados
Partner at Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados
Daniel Berzosa López
Abogado
Lawyer
Ignacio Buqueras y Bach
Miembro numerario de la Real Academia de Doctores de España
Full member of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain
María Emilia Casas Baamonde
Presidenta Emérita del Tribunal Constitucional, Catedrática
President Emeritus of the Constitutional Court, Professor
Juan Luis Cebrián Echarri
Fundador y ex Director de El País y Académico de la Real Academia Española
Founder and Director of El País and Academician at the Royal Spanish Academy
Ramón de Miguel Egea
Ex Embajador de España en Francia
Former Ambassador of Spain to France
Juan Carlos Estévez
Presidente del Consejo General de los Procuradores de España
President of the General Council of State Attorneys of Spain
Antonio Fernández-Galiano
Presidente de Unidad Editorial
President of Unidad Editorial
Gabriel Fernández Rojas
Socio de Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados
Partner at Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados
Ana María Ferrer García
Magistrada del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia de España
Magistrate of the Supreme Court of Spain
Benita Ferrero-Waldner
Comisaria de Relaciones Exteriores y Política de Vecindad de la UE (2009-2010)
European Commissioner for External Relations & European Neighborhood Policy (2009-2010)
Carlos García-León
Socio Director de Legal Reputation
Managing Partner at Legal Reputation
María Eugenia Gay Rosell
Decana del Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Barcelona
Dean of the Barcelona Bar Association
Carlos Lacaci
Socio de Lacaci Abogados
Partner at Lacaci Abogados
Francisco Javier Lara Peláez
Decano del Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Málaga
Dean of the Malaga Bar Association
Miguel Larios Gamero del Castillo
Socio de Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados
Partner at Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados
Nicolás Lindley Ramos
Consultor de DLA Piper Pizarro Botto Escobar y Socio Fundador de Menthor Tressesenta
Consultant at DLA Piper Pizarro Botto Escobar and Founding Partner at Menthor Tressesenta
Gloria Lomana García
Periodista y empresaria
Journalist and businesswoman
Bárbara Manrique de Lara
Ex Directora de Comunicación en Grupo PRISA
Former Director of Communications at Grupo PRISA
Luís Martí Mingarro
Presidente de la Abogacía Iberoamericana
President of the Ibero-American Bar Association
José Ángel Martínez Sanchiz
Presidente del Consejo General del Notariado y Decano del Colegio Notarial de Madrid
President of the General Council of Notaries and Dean of the Notarial Association of Madrid
Antonio Navalón
Periodista
Journalist
Victoria Ortega Benito
Presidenta del Consejo General de la Abogacía Española
President of the General Council of Spanish Lawyers
Dr. Antonio Poncioni Merian
Asesor Sénior de Lazard
Senior Advisor at Lazard
Marcos Rivas Fernández
Abogado y Miembro de la Abogacía Joven
Lawyer and Member of the Young Lawyer’s Office
Encarnación Roca Trías
Vicepresidenta del Tribunal Constitucional
Vice-President of the Constitutional Court
Álvaro Rodríguez Bereijo
Presidente emérito del Tribunal Constitucional
President Emeritus of the Constitutional Court
Yacky Rodríguez Velásquez
Directora ejecutiva de WJA
Executive Director of WJA
Sandra Salinas Gervassi
Ex-Asesora del Ministerio de Justicia y de DDHH del Perú
Former Advisor to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights of Peru
Carlos José Sarmiento Sosa
Coordinador del Bloque Constitucional de Venezuela en España y ex Vicepresidente de World Jurist Association
Coordinator of Bloque Constitucional de Venezuela in Spain and Former Vice- President of the World Jurist Association
Diego Solana Giménez
Abogado y Socio Director Adjunto de Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados y Eisenhower Fellow 2018
Lawyer and Deputy Managing Partner at Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados and Eisenhower Fellow 2018
Eduardo Torres-Dulce
Fiscal General del Estado Español (2011-2014)
Spanish Attorney General (2011-2014)
Orlando Viera-Blanco
Coordinador de Relatores del World Law Congress
Scribes Coordinator for the World Law Congress
Aránzazu Villodre Miranda
Delegada Territorial de Madrid de Alter Mutua de los Abogados
Local Delgate for Madrid at Alter Mutua de los Abogados
Nicolás Lindley
DLA Piper Pizarro Botto Escobar
The Organizing Committee maintains the institutional meetings necessary for the good end of the Congress, including meetings with high courts, bar associations of the legal guild, academia and diplomacy, whose involvement and collaboration is requested for the convocation to the Congress.
Finally, the audience will be made up of Spanish and international jurists, upon invitation. The invitations will be sent from the collaborating entities, and their content will be facilitated by the Organizing Committee.
Purpose
This Congress, which intends to bring together about 2,000 attendees, may represent a milestone for the World Jurist Association. Therefore, the World Peace and Liberty Award, a singular recognition award, has been designated, for the first time, to a person of the highest interest in Spain, and who represents an unwavering commitment to the Rule of Law, and the defense of Democracy and Freedom.
For Spain, the Congress will represent a reason for great pride and transcendence, as well as a unique opportunity to support the evolution of Spanish democracy and its stability.
On the other hand, the program will focus on Globality and Current Challenges of Democracy, offering a comprehensive view of the great issues that concern humanity and on which the jurist world must respond. These are issues that converge with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations, with the achievement of peace and prosperity through sustainable development. The program will integrate the vision of notorious international and Spanish jurists, companies and institutions that support the progress of humanity, and coexistence in democracy and freedom.