The International Association of Judges (IAJ) was founded in Salzburg (Austria) in 1953. It is a professional, non-political, international organisation, bringing together national associations of judges, not individual judges, approved by the Central Council for admission to the Association.
The main aim of the IAJ is to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, which is an essential requirement of the judicial function, guaranteeing human rights and freedom.
The organisation currently encompasses 83 such national associations or representative groups, from six continents. JANZ formalised its membership in 2019. As part of our work with the International Association of Judges, JANZ prepares yearly topical reports for their study commissions (see submissions below). We recently filed ours on:
Access to Justice During the Covid-19 Pandemic
How Data Protection Rules Are Impacting on Civil Litigation
Interpretation of Criminal Courts
Fraud and Corruption in The Workplace: How Does It Affect Employees
These comparative reports from 83 countries make for interesting reading. Despite how far flung we may be or the dissimilar origins for our source of law it is quite remarkable how many common themes we find from these comparative studies. My special thanks to Noel Cocurullo on report 2 and Joanna Holden on report 4.
To learn more, the IAJ website can be accessed by clicking here. To read the latest edition of the IAJ Newsletter, click here.