Dear Friend of the Vance Center:
Today, millions of people
around the world are unable to access basic human
rights—much less the rights guaranteed to them by their country’s
constitution and law. That’s where the Vance Center comes in. Since 2003 we
have been mobilizing lawyers and social justice advocates to promote access
to justice and social responsibility in the legal profession in countries
struggling to deal with histories of injustice, inequality and
discrimination. Our work has focused on pro bono legal services,
professional responsibility and diversity in the legal profession in Latin
America and South Africa, and the fruit of our work is spreading to other
parts of the world—Spain, South Korea and Turkey to name a few countries.
Your support has been crucial to these successes, but the work is just
beginning. Please support the growing access to justice movement by making a
tax-deductible contribution to the
Vance
Center
today.
The new year promises to be an exciting one. Some of the projects coming up
include:
Vance Center staff from left to right:
Alyson Zureick, Joan Vermeulen ,
Felipe Lecaros and Elise Colomer.
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The Global Network for Justice Initiatives (GNJI): The Vance Center launched GNJI—an online community of lawyers and advocates working to expand access to justice—in 2006. The site is being piloted in Latin America, and will grow to cover parts of sub-Saharan Africa early in 2007. Pages for Korea and Turkey are also on the horizon.
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As part of our Amicus Network, we will distribute a manual on practicing in the Inter-American Human Rights Commission and Court to Latin American and U.S. lawyers. The manual will facilitate support and collaboration between lawyers in Latin America and the United States, and expand the use of the Inter-American system to promote human rights.
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The Pro Bono Declaration for the Americas—a statement of principles and a plan of action to expand access to justice—will be launched in 2007. The Vance Center will assist in implementation efforts by linking leading law firms in the United States to firms in Latin America to collaborate on pro bono development. A gathering of Andean nations will also be convened to implement the Declaration.
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The South African Visiting Lawyer Program will mark its fifth year with a celebration and pro bono conference in Johannesburg. Twenty-five lawyers from historically disadvantaged backgrounds will have completed the one year program at private law firms and corporate legal departments in New York. Many have advanced into partnerships and positions in financial institutions and government.
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Plans are underway to develop gender diversity initiatives in Latin America and South Africa to facilitate the advancement of women in the legal profession and to strengthen their leadership in the profession.
Vance Center projects are producing concrete results around the world. Our achievements would not be possible without the generous donations of time and money that so many individuals and organizations have given in the past three years. We invite you to join this global community committed to making justice available to all. With your support, we will continue to make a difference.
The Cyrus
R. Vance Center for International Justice Initiatives
The New York City Bar
42 West 44th St.
New York City, NY 10036
www.vancecenter.org
Email: vance@nycbar.org
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