14th General Assembly

The 14th ASEAN Law Association General Assembly and the ASEAN Law Conference 2023 was held from 17th October 2023 to 21st October 2023 at the
Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

The Conference was attended by representatives from nine ASEAN countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Each of these countries was represented by their respective Heads of Delegation.

 

In addition to this, ASEAN members, delegates from various institutions; members of the judiciary, practicing lawyers, government lawyers and legal managers were present. Delegates from China and Russia also attended the Conference.

 

The 14th General Assembly (“the General Assembly”) of the ASEAN Law Association (“ALA”) and the ASEAN Law Conference 2023 (“the Conference”), held at Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur from 18th October to 21st October 2023, brought together distinguished legal professionals from across ASEAN to address regional challenges and promote the rule of law.

 

On 19th October 2023, the General Assembly opened with a grand procession led by bagpipers from St John’s Institution, followed by the ALA President and the heads of delegation from nine ASEAN member states – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

 

Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun, Chairperson of ALA Malaysia at the time, opened the Assembly with a call for unity and resilience across ASEAN, emphasizing the importance of legal cooperation in navigating and addressing future challenges. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, the ALA President, followed with the introduction of the inaugural ALA Moot Competition, an exciting new platform established to nurture young legal talent and deepen engagement within ASEAN’s legal fraternity.

 

Guest of Honour at the Opening Ceremony, the Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, delivered a powerful Keynote
Address, lauding ALA’s commitment to promoting justice. He emphasized that unwavering adherence to the rule of law is essential in overcoming shared challenges within ASEAN’s legal systems.

 

The Opening Ceremony concluded with updates from the Chairs of the ALA national committees, spotlighting ongoing activities and initiatives, and fostering collaboration among member states to address emerging legal challenges.

 

At the conclusion of the General Assembly, The Rt. Hon. Chief Justice of Malaysia, Tun Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat was unanimously elected as
President of ALA and Ms Bharti Seth of Malaysia was elected as Secretary General. The election of The Rt. Hon. Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun, created history in the chapter of ALA as she is the first lady to be elected as President in ALA since its inception in 1979.