Avocats Sans Frontières
Encyclopedia
Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF), also known as Advocaten Zonder Grenzen (AdZG) is an international non-governmental organization
contributing to the creation of fair and equitable societies, in which the law and its institutions serve the most vulnerable groups and individuals. ASF aims to realize this objective through field interventions in the areas of access to justice, legal aid and legal assistance before both national and international jurisdictions such as the International Criminal Court.
ASF has field offices in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
, Rwanda
, Nepal
and Uganda
and projects in Israel
/Palestinian territories
, Colombia, Chad and Tunisia. The organization also works on thematic issues such as international criminal justice and globalisation and justice.
In 2007, ASF was granted the CCBE Human Rights Award by the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe.
Avocats Sans Frontières has no affiliation with "Lawyers Without Borders
". Its Dutch name is "Advocaten Zonder Grenzen"; the organization does not carry an English name. Avocats Sans Frontières is also commonly known by its abbreviation "ASF".
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
contributing to the creation of fair and equitable societies, in which the law and its institutions serve the most vulnerable groups and individuals. ASF aims to realize this objective through field interventions in the areas of access to justice, legal aid and legal assistance before both national and international jurisdictions such as the International Criminal Court.
ASF has field offices in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and projects in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
/Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, Colombia, Chad and Tunisia. The organization also works on thematic issues such as international criminal justice and globalisation and justice.
In 2007, ASF was granted the CCBE Human Rights Award by the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe.
Avocats Sans Frontières has no affiliation with "Lawyers Without Borders
Lawyers Without Borders
Lawyers Without Borders is an international non-profit organization founded in 2000, which operates worldwide from its central headquarters located in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A. It has only one affiliate: Lawyers Without Borders UK founded in 2003, headquartered in London, which acquired UK...
". Its Dutch name is "Advocaten Zonder Grenzen"; the organization does not carry an English name. Avocats Sans Frontières is also commonly known by its abbreviation "ASF".
See also
- Human rightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
- Legal aidLegal aidLegal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
- Rule of lawRule of lawThe rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
- International Criminal CourtInternational Criminal CourtThe International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
External links
- Avocats Sans Frontières Official Website in English, French and Dutch
- Official press release of The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE)announcing that the CCBE Human Rights Award is granted to Avocats Sans Frontières
- ASF publication that won the Solidarity Prize (Solidariteitspreis) of the newspaper De Standaard