AIDP-IAPL Strategies


Strategic Considerations of the AIDP-IAPL
2010-2014
(adopted by the Board of Directors on June 4, 2010)
 
 
 
1. Promotion of scientific activities and scientific collaboration
 
2. Enlarging AIDP membership
 
3. Extension of partnerships and collaboration with other institutions and associations
 
4. Improvement of the image and presence of the Association
 
5. More effective and efficient organisation
 
 
 
1. Promotion of scientific activities and scientific collaboration
- Organisation of the XIX Congress of the Association that shall be preceded by preparatory colloquiums (one per section). Revision of the rules of Congress organisation.
- Promotion of regional conferences and the World Conference.
- Widening the participation in the AIDP working groups and promoting the AIDP scientific activities via the working groups.
- Intensification of collaboration between the Association and ISISC in organising courses and studies and responding to call for tenders.
- Creation of networks in different regions of the world with the help of institutes that had signed a permanent agreement of cooperation with AIDP.
- Renewal of the Review Committee and the Committee of the ReAIDP.
- Promotion of publications in the series NEP.
- Improve the use of the renewed web page in support of the AIDP`s scientific activities in general.
 
Comments
The promotion of the activity and of scientific collaboration is the vital goal and raison d’être of the Association.
In fact, the Association has been created as a platform designed to facilitate and promote scientific contacts among professionals. Without doubt the National Groups are the natural and primary structures of collaboration. During the last mandate we took important measures aiming at increasing the opportunities of meetings between members of the Association at the supranational and international level. In this vein, we promoted the organisation of regional conferences and the World Conference.
- In line with the decision we adopted earlier, during this mandate we will promote with the assistance of the Deputy Secretary Generals the organisation of regional conferences (at least one per year).
- We will also organise a World Conference that shall take place between 2011 and 2012.
- We will hold the XIXth International Congress of the Association, which will be preceded by Preparatory Colloquiums. (one per section).
As far as the Congress is concerned, the previous experience shows that the rules of proceedings should be revised, especially the rules on the debate and voting in the different sections, in particular the rules on who is authorised to vote. The Scientific Committee shall analyse the rules of the proceedings of the Congress in order to evaluate previous experiences and to assure the future success of Congresses.
Nevertheless, the promotion ofscientific activity is also realised within the Association through other types of activities. In fact, the Scientific Committee being in charge of revitalising the scientific life of the AIDP, created Working Groups devoted to certain subjects and following certain demands. This is also a line of activity that shall be pursued, and the participation in these Groups shall be widened as much as possible.
On the other hand, the Association as an exchange platform may become a particularly interesting instrument of conducting research that is necessary for international and regional institutions. The experience of collaboration between the Association and the ISISC in the organisation of courses and studies and responding to calls for tenders of the European Commission was very positive and reveals a line that shall be intensified in the future.
In any case, the Institute in Syracuse continues to be a magnificent example of the influence of Association`s scientific activity all over the world. The Board of Directors elects 16 out of 25 members of the Council of the ISISC which allows us to guarantee the continuity on account of the presidency of our Honorary President Bassiouni.
After having approved the rules concerning intensification of collaboration of the Association with other Centres and Institutes, it is necessary to work for the purpose of creation in each region of the world of an integrated net by a centre or institute whichhas signed a cooperation agreement with the AIDP.
Concerning the publications of the Association,
- We published three volumes of Nouvelles Etudes Pénales containing all the resolutions of the Congresses of the Association (in French, English and Spanish). The NEP remains open for publication of results of the scientific activities of the National Groups.
- After the renewal of the editorial team of the RIDP, the Committee of the Review shall reflect on the editorial strategy of the Review and in particular to an increased presence in the Anglophone world.
- The Electronic Review is an excellent means of fast publication (of course contributions are submitted to review prior to publication in the eRIDP). Therefore the necessary decisions should be adopted in order to secure broader knowledge about the existence of the Electronic Review and the possibility to publish articles in it, especially among the Young Penalists.
The web page of the Association has been completely reorganised and it is now a more and more important communication tool. In order to fully profit from the possibilities offered by the web page for the purposes of our scientific activities and also for general purposes, these possibilities should be better known.
 
 2. Enlarging AIDP membership
- Intensifying efforts in order to increase the AIDP membership among practitioners and professionals working in the administration of justice both at the national and international level.
- Supporting the creation of new groups. Developing new means in order to promote their renewal and to generate new dynamics.
- Intensifying the support to the Young Penalists Committee.
- Approval of the Board of creating new structures and committees within the Association.
 
Comments
Besides the promotion of scientific activities of the Association, the enlargement of the membership will be also a strategic goal of utmost importance.
The goal of the Association - being a contact platform - is to be open for all and to gather as many criminal law academics and practitioners as possible and to integrate them into the Associations as members. In order to achieve this goal, our efforts to enlarge the social base of the Association must be continuous.
This effort shall result, on one hand, in the increase of the number of our members. In this respect it is necessary to avoid concentrating too much in the Association on the academics. Instead, it is necessary to intensify our efforts to attract practitioners and civil servants working in the criminal justice administration both at the national and international level.
The activity of national groups is crucial in enlarging the membership base. Therefore the Association shall make all efforts to strengthen and support the creation and functioning of national groups. It must be avoided that the lack of activity or abnormal functioning of national groups affect the image of the Association as a whole, as well as that it stops colleagues from the respective countries from participating in the Association. In that respect, monitoring of national groups by the Deputy Secretary General responsible for the respective region is crucial.
The importance of the Committee of Young Penalists in the life of the Association is already obvious and we are thankful to them for their initiatives and participation at all levels. The support of the Committee of Young Penalists shall be continued and intensified as much as possible.
The reform of our Statute allows the creation of other structures and Committees. The Regional Conference in Pau put forward the proposal to establish a Francophone Committee within the Association. In order to have a legal framework for similar initiatives in the future, it is necessary that the Board of Directors establishes the rules of creation and functioning of committees in the Association.
Of course, the enlargement of the social base has also great importance for the financial viability of our Association. This is even more so since the Association receives only a minor subvention from the French Ministry of Justice and is financed mainly by the fees paid by members and national groups.
 
3. Extension of partnerships and collaboration with other institutions and associations
- Reinforcing the collaboration with the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organisation of American States and other international institutions.
- Support and promotion of the Coordination Committee of the Five Big Associations.
- Promotion of initiatives (like the Prizes of the AIDP) with other centres/institutions.
- Establishment of structural contacts with professional organisations active at the regional and international level.
 
Comments
The Association having a consultative status with the United Nations and the Council of Europe and benefitting from the privileged cooperation with the Organisation of American States, cooperates with these organisations on a regular basis as well as with other international institutions.
The Association also has outstanding relations with other organisations called sister organisations, such as the International Society of Social Defence - whose President is one of the Vice-presidents of the Association- the International Society of Criminology and the International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation. In the course of the last mandate, the Committee of Coordination of the Five Big Associations (that incorporates also the World Society of Victimology) was revived. The activities of this committee should be supported and promoted as it results in a good collaboration between the big associations.
The cooperation with other institutions led to the creation of two importance prizes:
- the Jescheck Prize together with the Max-Planck Institute, and
- the Siracusa Prize together with the ISISC.
The award of these prizes during the Congress in Istanbul was an emotional moment in the life of the Association.
We shall promote such initiatives that are very important from the point of view of promotion of our activity.
Finally, it is also crucial to establish structural contacts with professional organisations (advocates, prosecutors, judges, etc.) that are active at the regional and international level.
Finally, it is also crucial to establish structural contacts with professional organization (of solicitors, barristers, prosecutors, judges, etc.), active on regional and international level.
 
4. Improvement of the image and presence of the Association
- Setting up a promotion and marketing strategy of the Association and of its image. Developing instruments (AIDP brochure, leaflets etc.) for this purpose.
- Supporting our representatives at international and regional institutions.
- Follow meetings in which the presence of the Association is desirable.
- Completing our website, already completely trilingual, with specific pages in other languages spoken by a large part of the world’s population.
 
Comments
Although the image of the Association is very good in the world due to its history and activities, the efforts to improve this image even further must remain continuous. It is therefore necessary to establish a publicity and marketing strategy and to launch a promotion line for the Association and to use tools (fliers, brochures etc.) that enable to make promotion campaigns of the Association by the Executive Committee and other structures of the Association.
The image of the Association is also linked to the presence and participation of our representatives in the activities and meetings of those institutions with which the Association cooperates. Consequently the governing bodies of the Association shall support our representatives within the international and regional institutions and make a follow-up of the meetings in which the presence of the Association is desirable in order to guarantee that the Association is best represented.
Taking into account that the Website shall be the fundamental tool for the promotion of the Association we will try to complete our website, already trilingual, with specific pages in different languages equally spoken by greater parts of the world population.
 
 5. More effective and efficient organisation
- Study and implementation by the CoEx of the necessary changes to the internal functioning rules.
- Full use of the possibilities offered by the web site.
- Adoption of the provisions necessary to consolidate the financial situation.
- Facilitate to the extent possible the settlement of financial obligations.
 
Comments
Finally, we are utmost grateful to our Vice-President for Organization and Development of the Association and his team in Bordeaux for the results of in improving the organisation of the Association.
Yet, the effort to improve shall be permanent. It is the task of the Executive Committee to study the necessary changes of our internal functioning and to apply them or to present respective proposals to competent bodies of the Association. The full use of the web page is part of this strategic line.
Finally, the importance of the economic aspects is crucial for the life of the Association. After the meritorious effort of Catherine Thony in respect of collecting the membership fees from our members and national groups, it is necessary to adopt rules in order to consolidate these efforts and to facilitate in the best possible way the collection of the membership fees.
In this respect, the Association shall devote part of its financial resources besides publishing the Revue to the development of scientific activities like the organisation of conferences and research.