Colombo hosts meeting of Presidents of Law Associations of Asia

The 28th Presidents of Law Associations of Asia (POLA) Conference opened in Sri Lanka on Saturday with the participation of over 300 delegates from the Asia Pacific region.

The inauguration ceremony of the three-day summit was held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena and in the presence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Chief Justice Priyasath Dep and President of the Bar Association U.R. de Silva.

The conference, organised by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, will conclude on 24 July at the Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo.

During the summit, attention will be paid to the problems faced by lawyers in Asia. They will discuss solutions in this regard.

The three-day session includes discussions on professional privileges, the future of the legal profession, the role of the legal profession for social justice, alternate dispute resolution and foreign direct investments.

Established in 1990, the POLA Conference has served as a non-political conference for international exchange and cooperation amidst the Presidents of the Bar Associations of Asia. The objectives of POLA is to strengthen the activities of the bar associations, uplift the status of a lawyer, protect human rights and cooperate with international agencies like the UN.