Uganda, represented by the Attorney General Hon Kiryowa Kiwanuka has been elected the Vice President of the Asia Africa Legal consultative Organization (AALCO), at the ongoing annual 62nd Session in Bangkok Thailand, under the theme “Advancing the development of international law through Asian and African leadership.”
AALCO is The Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO), originally known as the Asian Legal Consultative Committee (ALCC), that was constituted on 15 November 1956, as a tangible outcome of the historic Bandung Conference, held in Indonesia, in April 1955 with Seven Asian States, namely Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, and the United Arab Republic (now Arab Republic of Egypt and Syrian Arab Republic) as the original Member States.
The name was changed later, in 1958, to Asia African Legal Consultative Committee, to include participation of countries from Africa. In 200l, it was changed to its current Asian African Legal Consultative Organization, (AALCO), reflecting the growing status of the Organization. Its main objective is “To serve as an advisory body to its Member States in the field of international law and as a forum for Asian-African co-operation in legal matters of common concern.”
In his address to the session, the Hon Attorney General expressed his sincere gratitude to the session for entrusting Uganda with the responsibility of Vice Presidency of the 62nd Session of AALCO and promised that the country will do her best to deliver in the new role that she has assumed today.
The Attorney General noted that although there had been a Eurocentric approach to public international Law where Asia and Africa where seen primarily as objects rather than active participants, AALCO had consistently taken a meaningful approach to addressing the pressing legal issues facing the world and reshaped the perception. Today, he added, Asia and Africa are seen as formidable subjects of international law and equal members of the international community.
Attorney General commended AALCO for forging many close connections with the United Nations and its agencies plus several intergovernmental organizations such as the Commonwealth Secretariat and the African Union, also noting that even though AALCO faced challenges, he was pleased with key successes such as the launch of the Integrated Scheme for Settlement of Disputes in Economic and Commercial Transactions.
He concluded his remarks by underscoring the commitment of the Government of Uganda to continue to support AALCO as a platform for harmonizing the actions of Asia and Africa in Legal matters, and wished the session successful deliberations.