INTER‐AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION 

FEDERACION INTERAMERICANA DE ABOGADOS 

MID‐YEAR COUNCIL MEETING & ONE DAY CONFERENCE  

and ROUNDTABLES  

IABA 75th Anniversary 

November 12‐14, 2015 

`xÅÉÜç Ceremony Commemorating the IABA’s 75th Anniversary

November 13, 2015

At the start of the day, we held an emotional ceremony marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the IABA’s first conference held in Havana, Cuba. As a tribute to the IABA’s founders, various speeches

were given. Dr. Manuel Supervielle read the speech presented in 1940 by his grandfather, Dr. Manuel Fernandez Supervielle, the IABA’s first President. As the IABA’s first female Secretary General, Dr. Mariana Cordier read the speech of Dr. William Roy Vallance, the organization’s first Secretary Gen-eral. Dr. Carlos Ivan Gorrin Peralta, a member of the IABA’s Council, read the speech of Dr. Natalio Chediak, whom he met in person, as mentioned during his presentation. Dr. George Harper, former IABA president, read the speech of Dr. Jose Manuel Cortina, a former Minister of Foreign Relations who represented the Cuban government as a special guest at the conference. The 75th Anniversary was also graced by the presence of presidents and representatives of various bar associations, whose or-ganizations had also participated in the first Conference founding the Inter-American Bar Association, including:

American Bar Association: Dr. Laurel Bellows Brazilian Bar Association: Dr. Paulo De Miranda Chicago Bar Association: Dr. Patricia Brown Holmes, President Philadelphia Bar Association: Dr. Albert S. Dandridge III, President Louisiana State Bar Association: Dr. Darrel J. Papillion, Vice-President Women’s Bar Association of Maryland: Dr. Diane C. Bristow, President Puerto Rican Bar Association: Dr. Mark Anthony Bimbela, President New York County Lawyers Association: Dr. Stephen C. Lessard New York City Bar Association: Hilary F. Jochmans.

Our President, Dr. Carlos Lopez Lopez, thanked the Presidents and Representatives of the founding bar associations in attendance, and also offered them a special acknowledgment commemorating our 75th Anniversary.

Dr. Manuel Supervielle read the speech pre‐sented in 1940 by his grandfather, Dr. Manuel Fernandez Supervielle, the IABA’s first President. 

Dr. Mariana Cordier read the speech of Dr. William 

Roy Vallance, the organization’s first Secretary 

General 

Dr. George Harper, former IABA president, read the speech of Dr. Jose Manuel Cortina, a former Minister of Foreign Relations of Cuba in 1940. 

Dr. Carlos Ivan Gorrin Peralta, a member of the 

IABA’s Council, read the speech of Dr. Natalio Che‐

diak.  

IABA President, Dr. Carlos López López, Secretary General, Dr. Dante Figueroa, with the representatives of foun‐

ding Bar Associations .  In the picture also IABA Former Presidents.  

One Day Conference and Roundtables

The academic program held during the Conference and Roundtables was a wonderful success, distinguished by the participation of high-level speakers. .

Panel “The Inter-American Attorneys’ Role in Implementing the United Nations’ Post-2015 Agenda on Sustainable Development”

Moderador: Susan Karamanian, Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies, George Wash-ington University (GWU)

Speakers:

Lucinda A. Low, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, “Anti-Corruption and the Post-2015 Agenda for Sustain-able Development”.

Nicholas A. Robinson, Professor, Pace Law School, Co-Director, Center for Environmental Legal Studies, “Conservation & Non-Renewable Resources and the Post-2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Dinah L. Shelton, Professor Emeritus of International Law, GWU, “Human Rights Issues and the Post-2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. 

From left to right: Lucinda Low, Susan Karamanian, Professor 

Nicholas A. Robinson, y Dinah L. Shelton.  

Dinah Shelton during her speech.  

The main speaker at lunch was Dr. David O’Connor, Head of Policy and Analysis at the Office of Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Organization of the United Nations.

Attendees enjoyed his talk, as well as the food. At the end of his speech, Dr. O’Connor received an honorary certificate.

Luncheon

David O’Connor during his speech at the Luncheon   From left to right: IABA Council Members: Alejandro So‐

lano, Maria Gloria Bobadilla, Carolina Obarrio, Maria Ale‐

jandra Pasquet, Jovino Alvarez, Mabel Solano, Alejandro 

Lapadu and Diego Peralta. 

From left to right: Santa Regina Matos, participant from 

Dominican Republic, IABA Council Members: Mark Atwood, 

Mariana Cordier, Judd Kessler and Claudio Araujo Pinho. 

From left to right: Dr. Carlos Lopez Lopez, IABA President, 

Dr. David O’Connor, speaker and  Dr. Dante Figueroa, IABA 

Secretary General.  

Roundtables

Roundtable 1: “Role of Multinational Corporations and 

the Post‐2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development” 

Ralph G. Steinhardt (Moderator), Jennifer Fischer, Raul 

Herrera and Charles Kotuby (Speakers). 

Roundtable 2: “New Trends in the Negotiations of In‐ternational Investment Agreements and the Post‐2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development” Arturo Valenzuela (Moderator), David A Gantz, Matthew Porterfield, Katia Yannaca‐Small (Speakers). 

Roundtable 3. “Public‐Private Partnerships and the Post‐

2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development” Margarita 

Sánchez (Moderator), Sean Hartigan, Patricia Sulser, Her‐

fried Wöss (Speakers) 

Roundtable 4. “Environmental Issues in Investor‐State Dis‐

pute Settlement and the Post‐2015 Agenda on Sustainable 

Development” Derek C. Smith, Lise Johnson, and Marinn 

Carlson (Speakers) 

Sara A. Colangelo, Moderator. Roundtable 4.“Environmental 

Issues in Investor‐State Dispute Settlement and the Post‐

2015 Agenda on Sustainable Development” 

Plenary Session. Mauro Chellillo, Hugo Cahueñas‐Muñoz, 

Andreia Bonzo and Charlotte Goudeau (Rapporteurs).  

Gala Dinner — IABA’s 75th Anniversary

As part of the Council Meeting, Conference and Roundtables, a Gala Dinner was held to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Inter-American Bar Association’s founding.

Before dinner, a cocktail party was held for those in attendance. The IABA President offered a toast, followed by tokens of appreciation from the organization’s President and its Secretary General, Dante Figueroa, to event sponsors. The gala ended with a dance.

We are grateful to all of those who attended, including Council Members, special guests, Conference partici-pants and guests.

The IABA remains committed to its objective to ensuring that democracy prevails throughout the Americas, based on the Rule of Law and a fair system of justice. Thanks to all of our members for assisting with this ef-fort.

Raul Herrera, USA., Jorge De Presno Arizpe, Mexico, Raul Lozano Merino, Peru, Noris Perez y Jorge Hernan Rubio, Pa‐nama.  

Alejandro Arturo Solano, El Salvador, Carmen Luz Consuegra y 

Claudia Flores, Colombia.  

Hermann Escarrá and Oasis Muñoz, with their daughters, 

Venezuela.  

Antonio Estefan, Mexico; Roberto Flores de la Rosa, Mexico; 

Patricia De La Riva, USA; Jorge Eduardo Pascual, Mexico y Marco 

Antonio Sagastume Gemmell; Guatemala.   

IABA Former President Mercedes Arauz de Grimaldo, Pa‐

nama, Raul Herrera, USA; Zel Saccani, USA; Margie‐Lys 

Jaime, USA  and Mark Atwood, USA.  

Jorge Hernán Rubio, Panama;  IABA Former President Carlos Ivan 

Gorrín Peralta, Puerto Rico, and Luis Delgado de Molina, Spain.  

Octavio Morales IABA Council Member for Bolivia, IABA Former 

President A.J. Bennazar‐Zequeria, Puerto Rico , and Jose Prat, Vene‐

zuela 

Maria Ducos, Argentina, Maria Elena Muñoz, Mexico, 

and Noris Perez Vega, Panama 

Manuel Supervielle, Carolina Obarrio, Maria Obarrio, Marta Elidia 

Demalde and Adriana Beatriz Lopez. 

Juan Carlos Esquivel, Costa Rica.  

Libia Almeida de Prat, Venezuela; Marco Antonio Garcia Claros, Octa‐

vio Morales, both  from Bolivia, and Jose Prat, Venezuela.   Daisy Vincenzi, Fabio Vincenzi Guilá, Costa Rica; Ramonita García 

Toledo and Osvaldo Toledo, Puerto Rico.  

Luis A. Antonetti, Osvaldo Toledo Martinez, Carlos Lopez Lopez, 

Carlos Ivan Gorrin Peralta and A. J. Bennazar‐Zequeria, all from  

Puerto Rico. 

Hiro Bulchand, IABA Council Member, Spain and 

Renaldy Gutierrez,  IABA Former President. 

IABA President, Carlos López López with assistants.  

IABA President Carlos López López offering a toast .  

IABA President gives to Paulo Miranda, 

PA. appreciation plaque for their spon‐

sorship to the Gala.  

Dante Figueroa, Secretary General and President López giving a 

certificate of  appreciation to Wolf Popper, LLP.  Receiving the cer‐

tificate Vilma Peña Rodriguez from Wolf Popper, LLP.  

Mr. and Mrs. Jorge De Presno Arizpe, IABA Former President.  

IABA Council Members: Laurel Bellows, USA; Hugo 

Chaviano, USA; and  Mabel Solano, Argentina 

Mr. and Mrs.  Angel Bruno, IABA Council member from Argen‐

tina. 

IABA Council Members: Manuel Supervielle  and his wife Caro‐

lina Obarrio. 

Mr. and Mrs.  Paulo De Miranda, IABA 

Treasurer.  

Mr. and Mrs. Jorge Hernan Rubio, IABA 

Council Member for Panama.