PHOTO: Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah, LNBA Vice President
Monrovia -The National Secretary General of the Liberian National Bar Association Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah was recently elected as Vice President of the West African Bar Association with a call to its member state to elevate their Democratic Credentials through Adherence to the Rule of Law.
In a press statement issued on July 2,2024, the LNBA said, its unwavering and unequivocal stance on enhancing a pragmatic Rule of Law Regime in West Africa has been validated and acknowledged by the recent overwhelming election of its National Secretary General Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah as the next vice president of the West African Bar Association (WABA) at the just concluded annual General Conference of that Regional Body.
The election of the LNBA General Secretary Cllr. Varmah as Vice President of the WABA took place in Cotonou, Benin Republic. The annual conference which commenced on June 25-27,2024 in Partnership with the United Nations office for West Africa and the Sahel UNOWAS the release said.
According to the release, the objective of the conference was to adopt the amended constitution of WABA elect members of WABA’s governing bodies.
The release further stated that various Bar Association in the sub-region as well as the WABA secretariat, UNOWAS and partners from the United Nations system, took part in the annual conference.
During the conference, the Bar expressed that Bar Associations and legal practitioners exchanged views on a variety of subjects to include the role of the lawyers and an organization such as WABA in ensuring a democratic and peaceful society free from tension and conflict.
At the conclusion of the conference, the participants adopted the new WABA constitution and elected for two-year term, a new executive committee drawn from the three language groups of the sub-region including francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone. The Malian Bar Secretary General of the LNBA, Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah as Vice President and the secretary General of the Nigerian Bar Association, Adesina Adegbite as WABA’s Secretary among others.
The WABA was created in 2004 in response to human rights and rule of law challenges that undermine efforts to promote democratic consolidation, good governance, sustainable peace and development in the region. Since its inception, the Association’s primary role has been to mobilize Bar Associations and legal practitioners to play a proactive role in the development of legal systems and institutions in the region and to contribute significantly to efforts to deepen democratic governance through respect for the rule of law and human rights.
Additionally, the LNBA National President Cllr. Sylvester D. Rennie has returned to the Country from the United States of America after successfully participating in the Justice and the Rule of Law Global forum, organized by the World Bank’s Governance Global practice which brought together over 200 partners, leaders and practitioners from government and judiciaries, the private sector, academia, Civil Society and other international development organizations working in areas of Justice and the rule of law.
At the meeting in Washington D.C, the LNBA National president assured the World Bank of the LNBA’s continuous collaboration with the Bank to enhance global rule of law.
The two trips for both the Bar President and General Secretary, were sponsored by the World Bank and United Nations office for West Africa and Sahel (UNOWAS).