A skilled, capable legal profession and effective judiciary are fundamental to contributing to the rule of law and sustainable and equitable economic development in Cuba. From 2013 to 2021, ILAC supported rule of law reform and sustainable development in partnership with Cuba’s legal community.
Projects
Professional exchange on international commercial law – closed
We provided professional exchange for Cuban lawyers from the Organización Nacional de Bufetes Colectivos (ONBC) on international commercial law to increase the participants’ capacity to work in the international marketplace and to support economic development.
We trained over 250 legal professionals from across Cuba, with the programme expanding to include globalisation and ethics to address issues common to all lawyers. The course was implemented in collaboration with the International Bar Association (IBA).
Professional partnerships – closed
As one of the few organisations conducting exchanges with Cuba, we were uniquely situated to use the expertise of our broad membership to encourage dialogue between the Cuban and Swedish legal communities.
We partnered with the Unión Nacional de Juristas de Cuba (UNJC), a countrywide association of legal professionals, for an exchange on a number of topics, including sustainable development, the rule of law in Sweden and corporate responsibility and governance. The exchange was conducted in collaboration with the Swedish Bar Association.
Through our partnership with Cuba’s Supreme Court, we aimed to facilitate a professional exchange between Cuba’s highest judicial body and Swedish judges and legal professionals to address topics ranging from law making, judicial review and the appeals process in Sweden to judicial ethics and gender and justice.
Clinical Legal Education – closed
This project aimed to develop capacities regarding clinical legal education as a means to increase access to justice. Implemented by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI), the project was a collaboration with the ONBC and the University of Havana. Further support continues to be provided to Cuban legal professionals by RWI, to learn more please visit RWI’s website.
Our Members and Partners
Our role is to coordinate our members, national and international partners, to avoid duplication of efforts, to ensure cost-efficiency and to report to donors. Our activities in Cuba is a joint collaboration between the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, ILAC and our member organisations, the IBA, Swedish Bar Association and RWI.
Local partners:
- ONBC
- UNJC
- People’s Supreme Court of Cuba
- University of Havana
