The WJP held its second major regional conference in the Asia Pacific region on January 26-28, 2011, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This second Asia Pacific Rule of Law Conference continued the WJP’s long-standing engagement with the region and is a part of the WJP’s broader efforts to strengthen the rule of law by incorporating it into the work of non-legal professionals. This multidisciplinary, action-oriented conference convened over 140 leaders from across the region and a breadth of professional disciplines to discuss and address regional rule of law concerns.

The main objective of the Asia Pacific Conference was to generate new cross-disciplinary plans to advance the rule of law in the region. Utilizing data from the WJP’s groundbreaking Rule of Law Index, lessons learned from the WJP’s Opportunity Fund programs, and the wealth of knowledge and experience of speakers and fellow colleagues through plenary and small working group sessions, participants developed concrete and realistic action plans to advance the rule of law in the Asia Pacific region.

Plenary sessions at the Asia Pacific Rule of Law Conference focused on three topics: Building a Better Business Enabling Environment; Ensuring Basic Rights for Migrants and Refugees; and Mitigating Environmental Degradation.