International Bar Association

IBA Exec Director, Mark Ellis has been awarded Ukraine’s Order of Merit. President Zelenskyy of #Ukraine has conferred the honour for Mark's commitment to the Ukrainian people and his staunch advocacy for the #RuleOfLaw and international criminal accountability. Congrats Mark!

Finance and technology: UK charts its own regulatory course on cryptoassets In February, the UK government introduced draft legislation before Parliament for the regulation of cryptoassets.

In February, the UK government introduced draft legislation for the regulation of cryptoassets. Under the new regime, the UK’s FCA will be given powers to regulate the growing cryptoasset sector – including cryptocurrencies, the same way as it does traditional financial services companies.

Read: www.ibanet.org/IBA-committe...

Law, and the never to be taken for granted Rule of Law allow the unheard to be heard and for abuse of power to be checked. Nature needs a voice in our legal order and this work will help find and amplify it.’

'This is a hugely valuable endeavour. Thoroughly researched, clearly articulated and professionally presented, this series will help lawyers, and decision-makers bound by law, to properly value nature and natural systems in their work.

James Cameron, Senior Advisor at Arden Climate Law and Policy and Honorary Fellow at the Grantham Institute for Climate and Environment at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social, said about the new IBA ‘Nature-Intelligent Legal Services’ series:

IBA Global Insight – Trump and the global order In February the US Supreme Court ruled that President Trump had exceeded his authority in using emergency powers to introduce sweeping tariffs without congressional approval.

US Supreme Court has ruled that President Trump exceeded his authority in using emergency powers to introduce sweeping tariffs. Impact of the tariffs has been dramatic with countries signing new trade deals excluding the US. US & Israel’s conflict with Iran is sending shockwaves around the world.

YouTube video by International Bar Association Bob Woodward, two-time Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist and author

Bob Woodward, a two-time Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist and author who played a major part in bringing down President Nixon in the Watergate scandal. He talks about his experience as an author of over 20 books, key moments in his life, and the future of the US presidency.

US presidency: Supreme Court striking down Trump tariffs is ‘real rule of law assertion by the judiciary’ The Supreme Court has struck down US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on US imports imposed in 2025.

The Supreme Court has struck down US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on US imports imposed in 2025. Amid the President’s sweeping claims of extraordinary powers, the Court’s judgment represents a victory for the rule of law and the constitutional framework in the US, say commentators.

Trump’s assault on the First Amendment The Trump administration has executed a wide-ranging crackdown on freedom of speech by targeting student protestors, lawyers and the press.

🔗 www.ibanet.org/Trumps-assau...

US presidency: law firms face targeted executive orders that undermine independence of profession A US district judge has permanently barred the implementation of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump against law firm Perkins Coie

The Trump administration has dropped its controversial lawsuits and executive orders targeting major law firms, ending a high-profile standoff over the independence of the legal profession.

Read the full breakdown on how these actions undermined the rule of law and the First Amendment:

Claudio Visco, LLM ’83, Leads the International Bar Association | University of Michigan Law School The International Bar Association (IBA) serves as the global voice of the legal profession, made up of bar associations, law societies, and individual lawyers across more than 170 countries. At its he...

In an interview with Allison Torres Burtka for Michigan Law (@umichlaw.bsky.social), 1983 alumnus Claudio Visco discusses his role as #IBA President, his vision for upholding the #RuleOfLaw, advancing diversity and addressing artificial intelligence.

Read: michigan.law.umich.edu/news/claudio...

US presidency: Trump administration withdraws from dozens of international organisations in unprecedented move In January, President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum pulling the US out of 66 international organisations and instruments, including 31 UN entities. His administration views the organis...

President Trump signed a memorandum pulling the US out of 66 international organisations and instruments, including 31 UN entities. His administration views them as being ‘wasteful, ineffective, and harmful’, commentators say the exit of the US is a blow to decades of international norm setting.

Sanctions: seizure of Russian-flagged tanker demonstrates major shift in enforcement In January, US enforcement authorities engaged in a weeks-long pursuit of an aging, rusty oil tanker heading north away from Venezuela through the Atlantic Ocean. Mid-pursuit, the tanker’s crew did so...

US enforcement authorities engaged in a weeks-long pursuit of an aging, rusty oil tanker heading north away from Venezuela through the Atlantic Ocean. Mid-pursuit, the crew hurriedly painted a Russian flag on the hull. The seizure demonstrates a major shift in global sanctions enforcement.

Read: www.ibanet.org/IBA-committe...

I am impressed to see IBA committees championing work to help lawyers become a source of expertise that clients turn to for navigating the nature positive transition.’

and how this disrupts client operations and supply chains. Companies expect their lawyers to help them to be aware and navigate these challenges and find opportunities for building resilience:

‘As Legal and Environmental Manager at Aguas Nuevas (a private-owned water and sewer management company based in Chile) and as a private practitioner, I am seeing how climate change, nature degradation and water pollution are impacting our water, power and agricultural systems,

Julio Reyes, Co-Chair of the IBA Water Law Committee, and Legal and Environmental Manager at @Aguas Nueva — a private-owned water and sewer management company based in #Chile — discusses the new IBA Nature-Intelligent Legal Service series:

Canada-China deal emblematic of response to Trump administration’s tariffs Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office used strong words when, in January, it announced a new trade deal with China. ‘In a more divided and uncertain world,’ it said, Canada was working ‘with ur...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office used strong words when it announced a new trade deal with China. ‘In a more divided and uncertain world,’ it said, Canada was working ‘with urgency and determination’ to diversify its trading relationships and ‘catalyse massive new levels of investment’.

Read about the Nature-Intelligent Legal Services’ series here: www.ibanet.org/IBA-committe...

Kleber Luiz Zanchim, Chair of the IBA Water Law Committee, commented on the launch of the IBA Nature-Intelligent Legal Services series and the landmark initiative's inclusion of guidance for #lawyers to address water scarcity concerns:

Read: ibanet.org/Marking-the-...

IBA President, Claudio Visco, on the global legal profession's and the IBA's commitment to securing #justice for #Ukraine, as the fourth anniversary of #Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country is marked:

Marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 24 February 2026 marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As you are likely aware, over the past four years the International Bar Association has provided significant assistance to Ukraine.

Read: ibanet.org/Marking-the-...

On the fourth anniversary of #Russia’s full-scale invasion of #Ukraine, Dr Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association, commented on the organisation's support of Ukraine:

Comment and analysis: War and famine push Sudan to the brink of collapse Sudan is plunging into a man-made humanitarian catastrophe, a crisis set to engulf over 20 million people within weeks.

New UN findings warn of "hallmarks of #genocide" as the RSF siege of #ElFasher intensifies. With millions trapped, human rights experts are calling the situation one of the most dire on Earth, as war and engineered famine push the nation toward total collapse.

📖 Read the full analysis from the IBA:

Greenland crisis to have significant implications for international order At a World Economic Forum event in Davos in January, US President Donald Trump ruled out using force to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous island belonging to Denmark, America’s NATO ally.

The Trump administration asserts that Greenland is under threat from Russia and China and that the US wishes to control the island for national security reasons. President Trump has said that the US would be better placed to defend Greenland in the event of an attack than Denmark would.

The IBA has launched the Nature-Intelligent Legal Services series – equipping #lawyers and #lawfirms with the tools to assess and respond to nature-related risks and opportunities arising from the accelerating #biodiversity and ecosystem crisis.

Read: www.ibanet.org/IBA-committe...

From Commitment to Action: The Next Steps in Holding Russia’s Leaders Accountable for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine The Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine could close a longstanding gap in international criminal accountability.

In an op-ed for @justsecurity.org, Pres. Zelenskyy’s Deputy Head of Office Iryna Mudra, Anton Korynevych & IBA's Mark Ellis outline why a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against #Ukraine is essential to hold #Russia's leaders accountable for the war.
www.justsecurity.org/131731/russi...