History

In an effort to strengthen the ties amongst Associations of Prosecutors and advance their common interests, several Associations who were IAP organizational members  began organizing Special Interest Group Meetings for Associations of Prosecutors during the IAP Annual Conferences.  Over the years, the number of Associations attending the meetings grew. Over time, it became apparent that the meetings were insufficient with the respect to the time necessary to cover the many topics that arose.  As a result, under the auspices of the IAP the Hungarian Association of Prosecutors hosted the first Global Forum of Associations of Prosecutors in Budapest, Hungary in September, 2015.  This conference was held separate and apart from the IAP Annual Conference, and provided association members with the ability to meet as a group and focus solely on issues of interest and concern to Associations of Prosecutors.  The meeting illustrated the need for, and benefit of, information sharing, networking, and committing to further efforts in this area.  There have since been two further Global Fora – Lisbon, Portugal in May, 2016 and Belgrade, Serbia in May, 2017.  The next Global Forum is scheduled for September 5-7, 2018 in South Africa, themed ‘Independence of Prosecutors Associations’.