Anticipation grows with less than a week to go until the 15th PALU Annual Conference & Triennial General Assembly

Next week’s conference will be headlined by the theme, ‘Justice through Reparations’, which matches 2025 being declared the "Year of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations” by the African Union. 

“We will be discussing what can be the contribution of the legal profession, through legal advocacy, through litigation and other tools in achieving reparations for Africa and people of African descent across the world,” says Donald Deya, CEO of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU). “Apart from that we will still have a rich and diverse programme along our three sections. A section on business law, a section on legal practice, and a section on public interest and development law.”

For the latter, the conference will be exploring recent developments in the rule of law and human rights, says Deya, and the role of the legal profession especially in issues such as pushing for the ratification of African legal instruments, and practical implementation of decisions of African and international courts and tribunals. 

“We welcome you to join,” says Deya. “We will have over 300 legal professionals from all across Africa, and also our friends from Europe, from North America, from the Caribbean, and from Asia, all joining us for this premier legal event.”

PALU is the premier continental forum for lawyers and lawyers’ associations, with a significant membership including five regional lawyers’ associations, over 54 national lawyers’ associations, and more than 1,000 individual lawyers. Its conference brings together a broad range of participants from all corners of Africa and the diaspora. 

PALU was originally founded in September 2002, at a convention held at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The 2025 PALU Conference will be hosted next week at the Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and is paired with the Triennial General Assembly. 

Organisers urge anyone still intending to register to secure their place as soon as possible, not only to confirm their participation but to ensure smooth visa processing (most applications take 2-3 working days and require an invitation letter and confirmation of flight details). Registrants can enjoy discounted airfares with Ethiopian Airlines, official carrier for the PALU Conference and General Assembly. 

To register for the 15th PALU Annual Conference & Triennial General Assembly, visit here. For more information on the Pan African Lawyers Union, visit their website.