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Leading Pakistani human rights lawyer Hina Jilani has succeeded Anne Ramberg as co-chair of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI).
She will co-chair the IBAHRI alongside prominent UK media lawyer Mark Stephens, a partner at Howard Kennedy. Ramberg, a distinguished Swedish lawyer, had held the post for six years.
Jilani, who will serve a two-year term, has dedicated her career to protecting and promoting human rights, particularly the rights of women, children, minorities and political prisoners.
An advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan since 1992, she is a member of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela.
Jilani said she was honoured to serve as co-chair, adding: “I share IBHARI’s vision and recognise the critical role that this institution is playing globally in improving access to justice for all.”
Stephens highlighted Jilani’s commitment to upholding the rule of law, saying: “It is an honour to be working alongside such an esteemed lawyer and a passionate advocate for fundamental human rights.”
Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, the director of the IBAHRI, noted Jilani‘s previous collaboration with her as a member of the High-Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, which Kennedy now chairs following the resignation of Lord Neuberger from the post last year.
She said the IBAHRI had “benefited greatly from Hina’s wisdom and experience, and we look forward to working ever closer over the next few years.”
Jilani founded Pakistan’s first all-female law firm in 1980 and co-founded the Women’s Action Forum, an anti-discrimination group campaigning for women's rights in Pakistan.
Despite facing persecution, beatings and arrests, as she detailed at one of the IBAHRI’s showcase sessions at IBA Mexico, Jilani also established Pakistan’s first legal aid centre in 1986 and founded Dastak, a shelter providing legal support to victims of gender-based violence.
Before taking up her new post, Jilani served as a UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and participated in various UN commissions and panels. She also served on a Commission of Inquiry on police violence in the US following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
The IBAHRI is an autonomous entity of the IBA, which works to promote, protect and enforce human rights under the rule of law and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.
Jilani’s appointment comes as the IBA welcomes its new president, Chilean lawyer Jaime Carey, who will share the post with Italian M&A lawyer Claudio Visco as president as part of a joint presidency arrangement for the years 2025–26, with each serving as IBA president for one year.
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