IAWJ

Call for Nominations for the IAWJ Human Rights Award and the Arline Pacht Global Vision Award

Deadline for Nominations:
31 January 2025

The IAWJ recognizes distinguished leaders through two awards to be presented at the 2025 Biennial Conference. These awards are the Human Rights Award and the Arline Pacht Global Vision Award.

The IAWJ Awards Committee requests nominations from members and staff of the IAWJ for each of these awards meeting the award criteria listed below. The 2025 IAWJ Awards Committee is comprised of Binta Nyako, Mina Sougrati, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Mandisa Maya, Robyn Tupman, and Susan Glazebrook.

Please submit nominations on the Awards page on the 17^th Biennial Conference website. Please include the name of the award the individual is nominated for, a short summary about the nominee and significant achievements pertaining to the criteria, and the name of the person or association who submits the nomination. Please note, the nominee must attend the IAWJ Biennial Conference in Cape Town, South Africa be considered for the award.

IAWJ Human Rights Award

The nominee for the IAWJ Human Rights Awards shall have demonstrated leadership and a commitment to ensuring the application of human rights principles, or other significant initiatives in furtherance of the cause of justice for women, children, and families.

Past recipients are Bertha Wilson (1998), Navanethem Pillay (2000), Arline Pacht (2002), Gertrude Mongella (2004), Carmen Argibay (2006), Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño (2008), Elena Highton (2010), Claire L’Hereux Dubé (2012), Sanji Monageng (2014), Patricia Wald (2016), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2018), Silvia Cartwright (2021), and Norma Lucía Piña Hernández (2023).

IAWJ Human Rights Award

The Arline Pacht Global Vision Award

The Arline Pacht Global Vision Award was first presented to Judge Arline Pacht at the banquet concluding the International Association of Women Judges Biennial Conference in 2016 “in recognition of her achievement in founding the IAWJ.” The IAWJ decided that the award would be presented at each biennial conference thereafter, preferably to a sitting or retired woman judge, to recognize her long-term contribution to the IAWJ and the IAWJ’s goals. Past recipients are Theresa Doherty (2018); Gita Mittal and Margarita Luna Ramos (2021); and Susana Medina and Teresita Leonardo-De Costa (2023).

Criteria for the Global Vision Award

In selecting a nominee for the Global Vision Award, her efforts should have or are focused on actions and outcomes that are international in their purpose and have long-lasting effects. The nominee’s actions also should reflect standards of great integrity and other personal traits that may include, but are not limited to, the following characteristics:

The vision and acts of the nominee are original and foster the IAWJ’s goals of promoting and protecting the human rights of and equal justice under the rule of law for all people, but especially for women and children;

The nominee’s goals and mission are inspirational and intended to improve the lives of substantial numbers of diverse people internationally;

The nominee perseveres in pursuing her vision, notwithstanding challenges, setbacks and/or discriminatory treatment;

The nominee reaches out to others internationally in an inclusive manner to develop leaders throughout the world who will continue to carry out a mission’s goals; and

The nominee’s vision, efforts and actions have resulted in accomplishments that have been or can be replicated in other countries.

Call for Nominations for IAWJ Officers

IAWJ President Justice Binta Nyako is pleased to announce this year’s Nominating Committee for the IAWJ Executive Council:

Hon. Binta Nyako

IAWJ President and Chair of Committee

Hon. Mina Sougrati

IAWJ President-Elect

Hon. Susan Glazebrook

IAWJ Immediate Past President

Hon. Vanessa Ruiz

Former IAWJ President

Hon. Thoba Poyo-Dlwati

SAC-IAWJ President

Hon. Binta Nyako
IAWJ President and Chair of Committee

Hon. Mina Sougrati
IAWJ President-Elect

Hon. Susan Glazebrook
IAWJ Immediate Past President

Hon. Vanessa Ruiz
Former IAWJ President

Hon. Thoba Poyo-Dlwati
SAC-IAWJ President

Nominations will be accepted through Friday January 31, 2025, for the following four positions on the IAWJ Executive Council:

President-Elect

Vice President

Secretary/Treasurer

The powers and responsibilities of these officer positions are listed in Article V: Section 5.2 of the Bylaws. The Bylaws can be found at https://www.iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=882224&module_id=561927

To qualify for an officer position, a nominee must be a voting member of IAWJ who is current on the payment of dues. Bylaws Section 3.1 & 5.1. An officer may serve no more than two consecutive full two-year terms in the same position.

Officers are expected to be available to respond to emails and telephone calls, engage in discussion and voting, to serve on committees, to represent the association in forums, and to support the IAWJ as requested by the President. Officers receive no compensation and pay their own transportation and accommodation expenses to attend annual meetings of the Board of Directors. When nominating a person for an officer position, please ensure that she meets the eligibility criteria and is willing to undertake the responsibilities of the office. For the Secretary/Treasurer position, the person must have the ability to review and monitor IAWJ financial accounts and to take International Board Meeting minutes in English.

All nominations should list the nominee’s activities in support of the IAWJ and/or member association. In addition, nominees for President-elect should submit a statement of their vision for IAWJ. Nominations should be submitted through the Biennial Registration website. Nominations may also be submitted to the attention of the Nominating Committee at conference@iawj.org.

The Nominating Committee will select at least one (1) nominee for each officer position and no more than two (2) nominees from any one region. The nominees selected by the Nominating Committee shall be circulated to the Board of Directors with at least 20 days’ notice before the election. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of members of the Board of Directors and shall reflect the diversity of the membership.

All nominees must attend the 17^th Biennial Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. Executive Council Officer Elections will take place during the International Board meeting on 7 and 8 April 2025.

Elected executive officers must be available to attend the first meeting of the new board on Saturday 12 April at 13:30 (Cape Town Time) and are elected for a two-year period.

Nominations for Regional Directors

Click the button below for the Nomination Form for Regional Director Positions.

IAWJ Board of Directors:

Duties and Responsibilities

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