Former Mexican president to speak at International Bar Association conference

Mexico City will host this year’s annual conference of the International Bar Association (IBA) from Sept. 15–20, with a keynote address by former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León at the opening ceremony on Sept. 15.

This September, members of the international legal community will meet at the Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City in an event that will be conducted in English and that will be open to all legal professionals, regardless of their career stage, said the IBA on its website.

The conference is expected to attract thousands of legal professionals, business leaders, government representatives, and regulators from over a hundred jurisdictions. The event aims to offer a platform for networking, learning, and professional growth.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with peers from different jurisdictions, to discuss the latest legal developments, and to gain insights from international figures across various legal practice areas.

The IBA, established in 1947, seeks to serve as the global voice of the legal profession. Created shortly after the formation of the United Nations, the organization aims to promote and to protect the rule of law worldwide and to contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.

Rule of law emphasized by Zedillo

Zedillo served as Mexico’s 61st president from 1994–2000. In a recorded address leading up to the conference, he focused on the critical role of the rule of law in fostering economic development, noted the IBA in its news release.

Zedillo's experience extends beyond his presidency. In 2020, he was appointed to the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPPR), which is tasked by the World Health Assembly to examine the COVID-19 pandemic’s origins, global spread, and impacts, as well as the measures taken to control and to mitigate it, the news release said.

Zedillo currently holds academic positions at Yale University. He is a senior fellow at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, director of the program for the study of globalization, and a professor in the fields of economics and political science, the news release added.

Zedillo’s work has also shown a commitment to global governance and justice, as shown by his membership in The Elders, an independent group of global leaders dedicated to promoting peace, justice, human rights, and sustainability.

The group’s mission is to leverage its collective influence to work with global leaders and civil society, said the website of The Elders. The group addresses existential threats, promotes global cooperation, and encourages ethical leadership through private diplomacy and public advocacy.

The group’s work focuses on key issues such as the climate crisis, pandemics, nuclear threats, and global peace and security. Apart from Zedillo, the group’s membership includes Hina Jilani, who has been a lawyer on the Supreme Court of Pakistan, an international human rights defender, and an advocate for women’s rights.