About the IOJT


Mission

The International Organization for Judicial Training (IOJT) was established to promote the rule of law by supporting the work of judicial education institutions around the world. This mission is realized through conferences and other exchanges that provide opportunities for judges and judicial educators to discuss strategies for establishing and funding training centers, designing effective curricula, developing faculty capacity, and improving teaching methodology. The IOJT is a volunteer, non-profit organization and relies upon the efforts and good will of its members.

Board of Governors

Executive Committee

President: Shlomo Levin
Secretary-General: Amnon Carmi
Treasurer: Paul Cotter
Members:  Clifford Wallace
                  George Thomson
                  Susan Kenny

Regional Deputy Presidents
Amady Ba (Africa and the Middle East)
Victor Hall (Europe)
Ameurfina Melencio Herrera (Asia and Pacific)
Elena Highton de Nolasco (South America)
Barbara Rothstein (North, Central America & Caribbean)

Additional Deputy Presidents:
Georgina Jackson (Canada)
Haim Porat (Israel)

Governors
Xiaofeng Huai (China)
Alfons Lopez Tena (Spain)
Luis H. Molina (Dominican Republic)
Jean Francois Thony (France)
Iryna Voytyuk (Ukraine)

Statutes

As amended in Barcelona, October 23rd 2007

Article 1: Organization

  1. The International Organization for Judicial Training (IOJT) consists of judicial training institutes that have been admitted pursuant to the requirements of these Statutes.
  2. English will be the working language of IOJT.

Article 2: Aims, Objectives and Activities

  1. The purposes of the IOJT are:
    1. To encourage the establishment of judicial training institutes;
    2. To promote the rule of law;
    3. To consider common issues for the training and education of
    4. judges;
    5. To develop machinery for the exchange of judges;
  2. The IOJT will achieve these purposes by:
    1. Promoting and advancing co-operation among its members;
    2. Facilitating international exchange of information;
    3. Organizing international, national and local meetings and congresses;
    4. Preparing and distributing professional materials;
    5. Developing educational programs and materials;
    6. Promoting and conducting collaborative research;
    7. Developing consensus statements on issues relevant to IOJT;
    8. Establishing committees to deal with specific issues, and
    9. Pursuing other means harmonious with the purposes of IOJT.
  3. The IOJT will advance and promote the study, instruction and training of the art of judging.

Article 3: Membership

  1. Judicial training institutes whose goals are consonant with those of the IOJT are eligible for membership in IOJT. A judicial training institute is a local, national or international institute that offers training to potential or active professional judges.
  2. The decision to admit a judicial training institute to the IOJT is made by the Executive Committee. Applications by national judicial training institutes will be automatically approved by the Executive Committee. Other applications will be approved by the Executive Committee at its discretion.
  3. The participants of the 2002 judicial conference constitute the Founding Body of the IOJT and are regarded as voting members of the First General Assembly.

Article 4: Structure

The IOJT will consist of a General Assembly, a Board of Governors, an Executive Committee, a President, Deputy Presidents, a Secretary-General, a Treasurer and other  committees.

Article 5: The General Assembly

1.    The General Assembly is the governing body of the IOJT. It is composed of the delegates of Member Judicial Training Institutes. The General Assembly meets every two or three years. An extraordinary General Assembly may be convened at any time by the Executive Committee or at the request of at least a third of the Member Institutes. Decisions of General Assemblies will be made by a simple majority vote of the Member Institutes present, unless otherwise provided in the following articles. There will be no voting by proxy.

2. The General Assembly:

  1. Determines the policies of the IOJT.
  2. Receives the reports of the President, the Secretary-General, the Treasurer and the Audit Committee.
  3. Elects the President, the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Treasurer. They shall be members of the Executive Committee. The President, with the advice of the Nominating Committee, shall appoint up to four additional members of the Executive Committee.   
  4. Elects five Regional Deputy Presidents, one from each of the following regions: Africa and the Middle East; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; North, Central America and the Caribbean; South America.
  5. Authorizes the President to appoint two additional Deputy President as needed.
  1. Elects the members of the Board of Governors.
  2. Bestows honorary titles on individuals.
     

Article 6: The Board of Governors

The Board of Governors shall consist of up to twenty five (25) members: The members of the Executive Committee, the Regional Deputy Presidents, and additional members. The powers of the IOJT between General Assemblies are vested in the Board of Governors. The decisions will be made by a simple majority vote in the minimum presence of 8 members. In the case of parity of votes, the President has a casting vote. The Board of Governors shall determine its procedure and mode of voting.

Article 7: The Executive Committee

The powers of the IOJT between the Meetings of the Board of Governors are vested in the Executive Committee. The decisions will be made by a simple majority vote in the minimum presence of three members. In the case of parity of votes, the President has a casting vote. The Executive Committee shall determine its procedure and mode of voting. Unless the Statutes designate otherwise, the Executive Committee shall establish all committees, including a three member Nominating Committee and appoint their members and chairs. In the event of a vacancy among the members of the Board of Governors, the Executive Committee has the power to appoint a replacement, pending confirmation by the next meeting of the General Assembly. 

Article 8: The President

The President chairs all meetings of the General Assemblies, the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee. The President is responsible for the implementation of the decisions of these bodies. The President convenes the General Assembly, the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee and decides upon the agenda of their meetings. The President represents the Organization in all official matters.

Article 9: Assets
The assets of the IOJT will be utilized solely to meet its financial liabilities. Organization members, members of the Board of Governors, Executive Committee, the various committees and other officers will not be personally liable for debts incurred by the Organization.

Article 10: Amendments of the Statutes
The Statutes of the IOJT may be amended by two-thirds majority vote taken at the General Assembly. Any proposals for a change of the Statutes will be circulated to all Members and has to be submitted to the Executive Committee for its recommendation at least three months before the meeting of the General Assembly.

Article 11: Dissolution

  1. The dissolution of the IOJT will be decided by the General Assembly at the request of the Executive Committee, or at the request of more than one half of the Members. The General Assembly will, with two-thirds majority, order the dissolution of the Organization.
    • All sums remaining within the funds of the IOJT after liquidation will be distributed equally among the Members.