Michael S. Greco
President, American Bar Association
ABA International Rule of Law Symposium
Welcoming Remarks
The Capitol Hilton
Washington, DC
9:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 9, 2005
On behalf of the American Bar Association, I welcome you to the International Rule of
Law Symposium. We are very pleased to convene this important gathering.
It is a stirring sight to see panelists and participants from more than 40 countries and five
continents
some who are visiting the United States for the first time, and many of whom are
valued partners in the ABA s international initiatives. We hope that you, and our distinguished
guests and panelists, will find this to be a stimulating and productive two days.
I thank all of the speakers, attendees, and sponsors of this symposium for your
participation, and I ask that you please join me in acknowledging and thanking the key
architects of this Conference:
Robert Grey, Immediate Past President of the ABA and Chair of the ABA Center for Rule
of Law Initiatives;
Bill Ide, Past President of the ABA and Chair of the ABA Central European and Eurasian
Law Initiative (CEELI), and the members of his Steering Committee who have planned
this Conference;
Walter White, Chair of the ABA Africa Law Initiative;
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Laura Stein, Chair of the ABA Asia Law Initiative;
Armando LaCasa, Chair of the ABA Latin America Law Initiative; and,
ABA Executive Director Bob Stein and the staff members of our international initiatives
and other ABA entities, who have worked so hard to make this symposium happen.
The ABA hosts hundreds of seminars and conferences each year, but this symposium,
without question, is one of the ABA s most important events in recent memory. Why do I say
that? Because the rule of law is so central to everything that the ABA stands for, both in the
United States and abroad.
This symposium provides a unique opportunity for a diverse group of stakeholders to
coalesce around a shared vision of the importance of the rule of law. Never before has such a
tremendous range of elected and appointed officials, judges, bar association leaders, nongovernmental organizations, academicians, corporate leaders, philanthropists, and others
gathered to address the questions that we will grapple with over the next two days.
As the panel topics make clear, there is nothing esoteric about the rule of law. While it
defines our quest to live in a world of stability, freedom and justice, it also goes to the heart of
some of our greatest global challenges, such as terrorism, worldwide pandemics, corruption,
and poverty.
Establishing and maintaining the rule of law is a rigorous, frustrating and generational
undertaking; in fact it s a never-ending process, as we have learned in the U.S. The recent
death of Rosa Parks, who helped ignite the civil rights movement in the 1950s, reminds all
Americans of how much progress we have made in promoting the rule of law in the last 50
years
and how far we still have to go.
America s challenges include defending the independence of our judiciary and legal
profession, promoting access to justice for all, ensuring that justice is administered in a fair and
unbiased manner . . . and the list goes on. In short, the same challenges that our overseas
participants struggle with every day.
While all of us are committed to advancing and protecting the rule of law, undoubtedly
we will have different perspectives and experiences, and honest differences of opinion.
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I hope that not only will we respect one another s differences, but that this conference
will foster a truly open and candid dialogue about the serious challenges before us. To cite but
one example, the ABA believes that all of us must be committed to the idea that promoting the
rule of law must begin at home. We must know that there are no pockets where the rule of law
does not apply, where the fundamental rights of men and women and children are not
protected. Even a suspicion that such pockets exist undermines our common goals.
That is why the American Bar Association has asked for an independent, bipartisan
commission to examine the U.S. government s mistreatment of foreign detainees
to find out
what happened, why, and how to keep it from ever happening again. We believe that a cleareyed examination is needed, to ensure that America continues to set the moral standard in
honoring the rule of law. Indeed, it is a necessity if we are to be credible champions of the rule
of law and democratic values.
I hope that each of us will feel free to address even the uncomfortable issues, so that we
can learn from each other and work together better. The ABA respects the contributions to the
rule of law from everyone who has joined us here, and we believe that the expression of every
perspective is important to the success of this symposium.
The ABA has a long history on the international stage, beginning in 1983 with the
adoption of Goal VIII of the ABA
to advance the rule of law globally. The year 1990 was the
real turning point for the ABA in terms of its overseas rule of law programs. In that year, the
ABA, led by co-founders Homer Moyer and Sandy D Alemberte, created the Central and East
European Law Initiative or CEELI, with Mark Ellis serving as the first Executive Director. But for
their vision and determination, we probably would not be here today. In 1998, the ABA
launched the Asia Law Initiative, followed soon after by the Africa Law Initiative and the Latin
American and Caribbean Law Initiative.
In recent years, the ABA has established a presence in a number of Middle Eastern and
North African countries, as well. Like CEELI, these projects are making a quantifiable difference
in advancing the rule of law internationally. Fortunately, the ABA s overseas initiatives have
been blessed by great leadership.
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Justice Sandra Day O Connor was one of a handful of America s finest public servants to
join CEELI s Executive Board at its inception, a position she continues to hold today. She is
joined in her support of the ABA s international initiatives by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who
serves on the ABA Asia Law Initiative Council, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who serves on the
board of the ABA Center for Human Rights, and Justice Stephen Breyer, a member of the ABA
Latin America Law Initiative Council. I thank the Justices, and all the volunteer lawyers and
judges in the U.S. and around the world, who have given so much time and energy to these
efforts.
Regrettably, we continue to live in an era of corruption, poverty, and widespread human
rights abuses, at the hands of authoritarian regimes and in the chaos caused by failed national
governments.
We live in growing anxiety that a disease that starts in one small nation, or the terrorist
who hides in one remote haven, can strike quickly and brutally at all nations.
You and I know that the rule of law is the best antidote to these and other problems, and
I applaud everyone in this room for your commitment to finding answers to the question of how
to make this world a better and more just place.
As a global community, we have no choice but to work together.
Now it is my pleasure to introduce Bill Ide, who will tell us what lies in store for the next
two days. As President of the ABA in 1994-95, and more recently as Chair of CEELI s
Executive Board, Bill s passion for and leadership in promoting the rule of law has been an
infectious and driving force within the ABA and around the world. Please join in welcoming my
good friend Bill Ide.
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