The UIA Welcomes the First Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to a Bar Association

The Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA - International Association of Lawyers) is delighted that the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, including the Tunisian Bar Association, for its contribution to the construction of a pluralist democracy in Tunisia following the Jasmine revolution in 2011.

The UIA welcomes the recognition of a Bar Association for the first time, since through its involvement with civil society the Tunisian Bar has helped enable Tunisia to bring its democratic transition to a successful conclusion. Apart from honouring the four organisations, this Nobel Prize also constitutes a recognition of the work lawyers do as pillars of democracy and of the rule of law.

“I am all the more moved and proud of this award because the Tunisian Bar Association has long been a member of the UIA and many Tunisian lawyers are longtime members of our association,” said UIA President Miguel Loinaz.

Since the Jasmine revolution, the UIA has devoted significant resources to the concerns of the profession in Tunisia and has organised several missions to provide the support needed by the Bar.

The UIA is pleased to announce that it will honour Mohamed Fadhel Mahfoudh, President of the Tunisian Bar Association, at the opening ceremony of the UIA’s 59th Congress in Valencia, Spain on October 28, 2015.