Guidelines of the AIDP/IAPL World Conferences

Site of the World Conference:

The site of the World Conferences on Penal Law, organized by the International Association of Penal Law (AIDP/IAPL) is determined by the Conseil de Direction. Invitations to host the World Conference should be directed to the President of the Association.

Choices of the Topics of the World Conference:

The subject of the World Conference and its sub-topics are determined by the Conseil de Direction based on the proposal made by the Scientific Committee at the initiative of the National Groups willing to organize the World Conference.

Publications in preparation of the World Conference:

The subject of the World Conference will be published in the Revue Internationale de Droit Pénal. The publication lies within the responsibility of the Scientific Committee and the Committee of the Revue.

Preparatory Stage of the World Conference:

When inviting the World Conference, it seems indispensible to have the financial means guaranteed, in particular by the government, public organizations, universities, etc. Such guarantee would facilitate the Conseil’s decision as to the site of the World Conference.

The preparation of the World Conference, in close cooperation with the Association’s organs, in particular the President and the Secretary General, should start at least two years before the date of the World Conference. Details are to be decided by the Organizing Committee, in which the national organizing committee and the President and Secretary General of the Association should be represented.

Schedule of the World Conference:

The schedule of the World Conference should combine plenary sessions, conferences and workshops distributed in 5 working days. It will be agreed with the Secretary General.

The pattern of the World Conference schedule is as follows:

An official Dinner should be organized during the Conference.

Meetings of the Editors’ Board, of the Executive Committee, the Scientific Committee and the Board of Directors will take place in the afternoons.

Financial Planning:

I – Expenses:

When planning the World Conference, the following major financial items should be taken into consideration:

1- Expenses for the Conference site/Conference Center

• rooms for 1000 persons for the opening and closing ceremony
• rooms for round tables, ancillary meetings or workshops
• rooms for the World Conference-Secretariat
• room for a press-conference
• rooms for the meetings of the Conseil de Direction, Executive Committee etc. 
• rooms for translators and interpreters

2- Expenses for the Convention Bureau

There are two different possibilities for contracts with convention bureaus, i.e. to pay a percentage of the participation fees or to agree on a fixed amount. However, additional costs will be placed to the account, in particular

• post fees
• telephone and fax
• printing costs for the World Conference decoration
• World Conference files
• badges
• printing costs of World Conference announcements

3- Costs of Translation (Interpretation)

The languages of the World Conference are the official languages of the Association, i.e. English and French, and usually the national language of the host country. Translations into Spanish would be welcome.

Simultaneous translation is necessary for

• Opening and closing ceremony
• press conference (consecutive translation)
• Plenary Sessions and Conferences

4- Documentation and other means for the World Conference

• World Conference Program
• Translation costs
• Technical equipment (computers)
• Preparation of the final documents

all this includes paper and copy-costs, including the hire of copying machines and a technician to service these machines

5- Social Program

• Excursions
• Program for accompanying persons
• Tour guides
• Transportation

6- Hospitality

• The travel expenses of the president, the secretary general, the treasurer and the scientific coordinator should be reimbursed
• the members of the executive committee should be accommodated free of charge and free of registration fees
• the other members of the board of directors, of the Scientific Committee and the Committee of the Revue should be free of registration feesription,

7- Other expenses

• Decoration
• recording of the sessions for the preparation of the World Conference acts

8- Publication of the results of the World Conference

Within two years the results of the World Conference should be published and distributed to all members of the Association as well as to all other participants of the World Conference. An additional number of these acts should be made available for distribution.

II – Receipts:

• Participation fees
• Contributions of government, institutions etc.
• Letting of place for juridical publishers etc.
• Advertisements in the World Conference program and in other publications

Invitation of the World Conference

After determination of place and date of the World Conference by the Conseil de Direction, the organizing National Group should, as soon as possible, disseminate this information together with the subject of the World Conference to all members of the Association. Such „First Announcement“ should also be addressed to the governments, in particular ministries of justice and of interior, to supreme courts and general attorneys, and to the law schools of universities. Further addresses could be obtained out of the lists of participants of former Congresses and World Conferences.

This First Announcement should include a questionnaire whether participation is intended.

After having established the final program, the official invitation should be disseminated at least one year before the World Conference. It should include the amount of the participation fees, the hotel categories, the forms of application and the account to which payment should be effected.

The opening/closing session of the World Conference:

Apart from the participants, the honorary guests, accompanying persons and the press should be invited for the opening session of the World Conference.

The agenda of the opening ceremony could be as follows:

• Welcome address of the President of the Association
• Welcome address of representatives of the host country
• Welcome address of the president of the National Group
• Inaugural speech on a topic of criminal law

In a similar way a closing session of the World Conference should be organized.

World Conference Fees

The fees of participation should be as limited as possible to guarantee a world wide participation in the World Conference.

Different participation fees should be requested from the following categories of participants:

• members of the Association
• young penalists
• other participants
• accompanying persons
• students

if necessary:

• different fees for members of the host country
• reduced fees for participants of third world countries.

As to the first two categories a differentiation is normally made with a view to the date of registration.

Publication of World Conference Proceedings

The Host National Group is to publish the World Conference proceedings, i.e.

• report of the opening ceremony
• opening lecture
• conferences in the plenary sessions
• a list of the workshops, eventually with a summary of heir work and/or conclusions
• the list of participants.

The World Conference Proceedings are to be distributed to all World Conference participants and all members of the Association.

Moreover the Director of the Publications of the AIDP should be provided with more copies of the World Conference Proceedings.