At the invitation of the Tunis Bar, a delegation from ILAC visited Tunisia 10-12 March to prepare for a possible programme of assistance to the Tunisian judicial system. The delegation consisted of Christian Åhlund from the ILAC Head Office, the President of Union Internationale des Avocats, Pascal Maurer, and Paul Simonett, who is the Middle East and North Africa Representative of the American Bar Association. Both UIA and ABA are members of ILAC.
The delegation was received by the Interim President of Tunisia, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice. Meetings also took place with the President of the Bar, several other members of the Bar, the association of judges and with civil society. The delegation was impressed with the obvious determination of our counterparts to ensure a swift and effective transistion to a democratic society and an independent judiciary. Discussions are now under way with our Tunisian counterparts about a training program for judges as well as a more in-depth needs assessment mission.