Jennifer Younan, a Paris-based senior associate in Shearman & Sterling’s International Arbitration Group, spoke at the 61st Annual United Nations DPI/NGO (Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organizations) Conference held at UNESCO in Paris on September 4. The conference commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed in Paris in 1948.

Younan served as a moderator of a workshop, entitled “A New Model? The ‘Partnering’ of NGOs and Law Firms in Support of Human Rights,” which explored how strategic relationships between NGOs and law firms can create substantial benefits for both maximizing resources and increasing the effectiveness of NGO projects in support of human rights. Various case studies of successful collaborations were discussed, including Shearman & Sterling's involvement in the neutral trial observations in Ethiopia and with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Other speakers included Serge Kamuhinda, a former trainee in Shearman & Sterling's Paris office who spoke about his experience in Rwanda, and Christina Storm, founder and director of Lawyers Without Borders (which also sponsored the workshop). Emmanuel Jacomy and Swan Sallmard, two International Arbitration associates based in Paris, also participated in the workshop.

The active involvement of the Paris office in the workshop was initiated and supported by Yas Banifatemi, Head of the firm's Public International Law practice and a partner in the International Arbitration Group. The Paris office has a long history of supporting the firm's international pro bono work, particularly with respect to our projects in Africa and involving international law.