Ufohja seminar in Ouagadougou from 5 to 7 September 2007

Ensuring the Promotion of the Hague Convention of November 15th, 1965 in Africa

The visit of the delegation of the UIHJ, lead by its president, Jacques Isnard, began on September 5th with a conference of the presidents of the national chambers of judicial officers of Central and Western Africa.
After having welcomed each one for this 3rd seminar in Burkina Faso, Jacques Isnard made a report of his allocution and the very interesting debates which had just taken place in the Hague from August 30th and 31st, at the time of a conference bringing together the heads of the Supreme Courts of French-speaking Africa. He invited each participant to get close to their Official Authorities to ensure the promotion of the occupation of judicial officer, The Hague Convention of November 15th 1965 and the need for their country to join it, indicating that he had henceforth undertaken to devote thirty minutes of information on this convention at the time of each African seminar to come.
A round table was then organized, making it possible for each one to give a progress report on the last events in the occupation of judicial officers in their country and to express their expectancies relating to the UIHJ.

Uniform Acts Projects for Ohada

Jacques Isnard then said that the Uniform Act project relating to the statute of the judicial officers in Africa, voted in Abidjan, had been lodged officially with Mamadou Dagra, the Minister for Justice of Niger who currently chairs the Council of the Ministers for Justice of Ohada and who is confident regarding its adoption. He invited the presidents of the national chambers of judicial officers to ensure its promotion near their Official Authorities.
He indicated that three projects of uniform acts were currently in preparation: the first on the statute of the judicial officers, the second on the exequatur and the third on the transmission of documents.
Regarding the International Institute of Private Legal Law and of enforcement Law, he regretted the absence of participation of students of the African continent in the contest recently organized jointly by the UIHJ and the National school of procedure of Paris (ENP). He invited each president to become more involved in the contest which will be organized next year.
In addition, he announced the merging of the Institute with the Individual Training Leave and the creation by the UIHJ of a scientific council which will bring together law professors of the whole world, obviously including professors of the African continent.
Jacques Isnard then evoked the reform under consideration of Ufohja as for the designation of its board of management and of the lecturers, wishing to associate from now on magistrates and law professors for the next seminars.
He then evoked the next inter African conference which will take place in Johannesburg next October, as it will materialize the Cadat (Cape Town - Dakar - Tunis) operation,.
Jacques Isnard very briefly evoked the professional charter presented in November 2004 in Paris which is not yet signed by all the countries as well as the proposal of a collaboration of the African Fund of Guarantee and Economic Cooperation (Fagace).
At last, Jacques Isnard gave a progress report on the extension of the members of the African continent to the UIHJ (Mauritania, Central African Republic, etc.).
He evoked the 2008calendar. Gabon proposed to organize a seminar in February and Togo in June. Jacques Isnard pointed out that a third country could apply for a September conference.

3rd Conference in the Country of Honest Men

For this 3rd conference organized in the “country of honest men” (the English translation of Burkina Faso), the main selected theme was “the liberal judicial officer as an essential part of the Rule of law”.
The delegation of the UIHJ was lead out by Jacques Isnard, president, Jean Michel Rouzaud, vice-president of the ENP and Anne Kérisit, member of the UIHJ and Ufohja expert.
In his opening speech, Séverin Somda, president of the National Chamber of the judicial officers of Burkina Faso, greeted the presence of the members of the Republican institutions and the legal body of Burkina Faso like those of the delegations of Mali, Togo, Benin, Chad, Ivory Coast, Niger, Cameroon, Senegal and France.
He insisted on the obligation to have a liberal and independent judicial officer and the need for his profession in Burkina Faso for being equipped with adequate provisions and financial means to be able to exert its ministry accordingly, thus addressing to the present Minister for justice about the provisions awaited by the profession.
He recalled that the judicial officer would thus have the means of being full essential elements of the Rule of law and guarantors of the rights of the citizens.
He finally cordially thanked Jacques Isnard, “the African”, for all his efforts for promoting the occupation of judicial officers in the world and in Africa.

A conference in the heart of the concerns of Blaise Compaoré, President of the Republic of Burkina Faso

In a very awaited speech, Zakalia Koté, Minister for Justice, underlined how much the central theme of the conference was in the heart of the concerns so much of Blaise Compaoré, President of the Republic who he represented this day, as of the government to which he belonged. He recalled that Burkina Faso is a State of law, that the judicial officer have their place in the political and economic context of the country and that he can be regarded as the essential element of the Rule of law because he profits from a quality training, which is a proof of his efficiency. He insisted on the fact that he was being attentive to the needs of this profession which he respected and which is an essential link with the court system.
Two days of intense exchanges followed with the participation of many speakers:

After the conference, the delegation of the UIHJ and of the ENP, as well as the representatives of the National Chamber of judicial officers of Burkina Faso were invited at the ministry of Justice where the met the Ministry for Justice. They also had a meeting at the Supreme Court. For sure, as shown the large coverage of the event by the media, the visit of the UIHJ and of the ENP and the organization of the meeting contributed to the strengthening of the occupation of judicial officers   in the “Country of Honest Men”.