Marcell Sihombing, Hasyry Agustin, CR-20

Illustration by: BAS
In a bid to boost the development of pro-bono practices in the context of tackling key public-interest issues in Asia, Indonesia is set to host the 2016 Asia Pro Bono Forum (APBF), which takes place from 29 to 31 August 2016 in Sanur on the resort island of Bali. Under the theme of
Lawyers as Innovators: Charting New Frontiers in Pro-Bono Work, the forum will focus on various issues relevant to law professionals across Asia, such as migrant workers, the trafficking of women and children, refugees and asylum seekers, as well as human rights issues in general.
These strategic public issues will be discussed at a number of workshop sessions, which will be attended by lawyers, corporate representatives, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic experts, bar associations and public-policy makers from countries all across Asia. Hopefully, these stakeholders will use the forum as a medium to build common perspectives relating to the development of pro-bono practices. It is then hoped that the attendees will move on to collaborate with each other in a bid to address and handle these issues at the global, regional and national levels, in accordance with their respective roles.
In order to ensure a more fruitful discussion, the invitees to this year’s APBF include renowned experts from over Asia, including Todung Mulya Lubis, a professional lawyer and human-rights activist from Indonesia. Alongside Mr. Lubis, several other distinguished names will be representing Indonesia at the forum, including Alghiffari Aqsa, the Director of LBH Jakarta - part of the Global Network for Public Interest Law (PILNET).
After the forum has ended, Indonesia will go on to host the 5
th Asia Pro-Bono Conference, which runs from 31 August to 1 September 2016, in collaboration with the Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia Community Legal Education Initiative (BABSEACLE), as well as partners from the Asia Pro-Bono Consortium. This year running under a theme of
The Impact of Pro-Bono Work upon Transformational Change: Working to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals, the conference will address topics relating to recent developments in human-rights enforcement at the regional level, ranging from social justice during this transition era, violence against women and child trafficking.
These topics will be further elaborated upon and discussed during a number of workshops which will discuss various legal-aid practices as they relate to cases involving human trafficking, refugees and asylum seekers, the rights of people with disabilities, policies concerning the use of narcotics and illegal drugs, public health and fair access to economic developments. In line with this, the workshops will also encompass discussions on the role of bar associations, public-law activists, paralegals and partners to legal-aid provision activities, as well as synergy between various legal-aid institutions and law firms.
(cd/sp)