When and Where?

We are happy to announce that the 11th Asia & Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) will be held in Hong Kong from 27 to 29 November 2024 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), almost 20 years after it was last held in the city. 

The conference is being hosted by the Prosecutions Division of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. The theme of the conference is “Effective Prosecution Service in the Technological Age”.

Hong Kong

Not just an international city, Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.  With its international background and being part of China, Hong Kong has one of the most unique and diverse characters.  From an international financial centre to one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations; from a place teeming with historical buildings to a city filled with modern arts, you are not visiting just another city but Hong Kong.

Under the Basic Law, HKSAR enjoys executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication, and the common law system is preserved in Hong Kong, making it the only common law jurisdiction in China.   

The HKSAR is committed to the rule of law and its robust legal system.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

The conference will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), one of the largest convention and exhibition centres in Hong Kong. The iconic architecture of the HKCEC stands proudly on the waterfront of Hong Kong’s world-famous Victoria Harbour. Besides being a major landmark on the Hong Kong Island skyline, the HKCEC has also received numerous industry awards and is recognized regionally and internationally as a world-class conference venue.

“Effective Prosecution Service in the Technological Age”

The theme of the 11th Asia Pacific Conference is “Effective Prosecution Service in the Technological Age”.  In today’s digital age, the relationship between crime and technology is becoming increasingly intricate. The ever-changing technological advancements and rapid growth of global markets have been exploited by a new breed of criminals to embark on their criminal activities. The high flexibility of adopting anonymous identities in the internet and the ease of global reach provide incentives for criminal behaviour, thus resulting in the emergence of novel criminal trends and prevalence in cybercrimes. Innovations in technologies, on one hand, pose great challenges to law enforcement bodies and prosecuting authorities in hunting down criminals, but, on the other hand, play a pivotal role in crime prevention, detection and investigation.

Against this background, the conference will explore how law enforcement bodies and prosecuting authorities can better equip themselves in combatting crime in this technological age.  Jurisdictions will have an opportunity to engage in an extensive and in-depth discussion on the importance and effectiveness of law reform in addressing the emergence of new criminal trends, as well as potential collaboration between counterparts in tackling the challenges under the trends of decentralisation.  The conference will also look into how technology can be incorporated in the criminal justice system to facilitate the prosecution services.  Jurisdictions will focus on discussing how digital evidence can be properly obtained, preserved and presented in legal proceedings, as well as how digitalisation and artificial intelligence may impact on evidence gathering and analysis.

The Role of the Prosecutions Division

Article 63 of the Basic Law provides that the Department of Justice of the HKSAR shall control criminal prosecutions, free from any interference.  The Prosecutions Division is responsible for prosecuting trials and appeals on behalf of the HKSAR, providing legal advice to law enforcement agencies upon their investigations, and generally exercising on behalf of the Secretary for Justice the discretion whether or not to bring criminal proceedings in the HKSAR.  In addition, counsel in the division provide advice and assistance to government bureaux and departments in relation to any criminal law aspects of proposed legislation.

The Structure of the Prosecutions Division

The operational work of the Division is conducted by five sub-divisions:

ABOUT THE IAP

The International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) has a longstanding tradition of organising conferences to provide fora for prosecutors to network with colleagues from around the world and exchange best practices and experiences.

General information about the IAP

The IAP is a non-governmental, non-political organisation, and the only worldwide organisation for prosecutors. The IAP has over 170 organisational members, including associations of prosecutors, prosecution authorities and crime prevention agencies. Together with its individual membership the IAP represents over 250,000 prosecutors in over 165 different countries and territories around the world.

The IAP was established on 06 June 1995 at the United Nations Office in Vienna and was formally inaugurated in September 1996 at its first General Meeting in Budapest. The main impetus leading to its formation was the rapid growth in transnational crime, particularly drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud. An obvious need for enhanced international cooperation between prosecutors was emerging, particularly in the fields of mutual legal assistance, extradition and asset recovery.

Since its inception, the IAP has been committed to setting and raising standards of professional conduct and ethics for prosecutors worldwide, and to the promotion of the rule of law, fairness, impartiality and respect for human rights.  The IAP also aims to improve and strengthen international cooperation to combat crime by building networks between prosecuting agencies and supporting an increased pace and efficiency in the transfer of information and the provision of mutual legal assistance.

The IAP Constitution sets out the following Objects of the IAP:

The Executive Committee is the governing body of the IAP, subject to the authority of the General Meeting which is the body of supreme authority in the IAP. The IAP elects a President, up to nine Vice-Presidents and up to twenty-one ordinary members of the Executive Committee. The membership of the Executive Committee reflects the regions in the world where the IAP has members.

The Executive Committee appoints a Secretary-General, who is the Chief Executive, a General Counsel, who is the principal professional representative responsible for the professional programme of the IAP and who provides legal advice and counselling to the IAP, and an Executive Director, responsible for the day-to-day management of the IAP, to include finances, technical support, communication, membership administration and community outreach.

The Senate of the IAP consists of past members of the Executive Committee who elect to join the Senate upon their departure from the Executive Committee, and who are, in the opinion of the President and the Executive Committee, fit and proper persons of good standing and repute in the Association. The Senate operates in conjunction with the President and the Executive Committee. The Senate serves as an advisory body and executes powers to promote the IAP Objects.

The Secretariat of the IAP is based in The Hague, The Netherlands.

IAP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2024 - 2025