Changes made to Advisory Council of Jurists

At the 12th Annual Meeting of the APF, held in Sydney last year, the Forum Council agreed to conduct a review of the role and functions of the Advisory Council of Jurists (ACJ) so that it could be structured and supported to best meet the challenging needs of the APF into the next decade.

The review, which was completed in March, recommended some significant changes to the operations of the ACJ. In April the Forum Council adopted the following changes:

Terms of Reference

Perhaps the most significant change is to provide a broader mandate for the ACJ to consider and provide advice on international law generally, rather than on international law to which APF members are a party.

Adoption of Selection Criteria and a Duty Statement for Jurists

The selection criteria highlights the important attributes required of a Jurist and will assist member institutions when considering and selecting their ACJ nominee.

Similarly, the Duty Statement will assist Jurists in considering and accepting a nomination to the ACJ and will make clear the expectations of their nominating institution and the APF generally.

Changes to the ACJ Reference process

A more structured process will be introduced for the selection, preparation, consideration and production of ACJ references and report, including: 

• a formal process for the selection of references (involving a representative sub-committee of the Forum Council and the ACJ)
• greater engagement between the Forum Councillors and the ACJ Jurists prior to and during consideration of a reference topic
• more focussed, succinct and contextualised ACJ reports and recommendations
• the introduction of a structured process for the domestic consideration and implementation of ACJ reports and recommendations; and
• a process for reporting back on the implementation of ACJ recommendations at Annual Meetings.

The review also considered various ways of enhancing the profile of the ACJ. Recommendations are to be investigated by the Secretariat and will be the subject of a further brief to the Forum Council.

Implementation of the changes outlined above will take place over the next year. Some changes, such as those to the terms of reference and the selection of Jurists will apply immediately. 

As the ACJ is already considering its next reference, changes to the reference process will be implemented gradually over the next 12 months.

The Advisory Council of Jurists (ACJ) was established in 1999 to provide the APF with expert legal advice on human rights and international law.

Since it was established the ACJ has considered references on the regulation of child pornography on the internet (2000), the death penalty (2000), trafficking of women and children (2002), anti-terrorism legislation and the rule of law (2004), torture (2005) education (2006) and the environment (2007).