Global Training in the Rule of Law

In 1999 SUNSGLOW was launched for the purpose of fostering the globalization of the Rule of Law.

SUNSGLOW’s mission was formally endorsed by the UN Secretary-General, His Excellency Kofi Annan, who described this unique non-governmental venture which is dedicated to the service of civil society as one of the UN “partners”.

Since its birth, first as a not-for-profit and then later as a private corporation, it has focused on training for legal and judicial reform, respect for human rights, and the enhancement of good governance across national borders, time zones and language barriers.

In carrying out these tasks, SUNSGLOW has an abiding interest in the developing world, namely Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Latin America.

Our programming is of two kinds: (1) general training, which deals with the basics of various legal topics and issues; and (2) high-level colloquia, which focus in-depth on one or two central issues presented in the form of exchanges of experience. 

SUNSGLOW’s programs are designed for judges, attorneys, law enforcement officers, law students, diplomats, media personnel, business persons and others, especially those dealing with various governmental and non-governmental organizations.

SUNSGLOW offers a great diversity of subject matters: from court administration to the intricacies of the new humanitarian and international criminal laws; from the application of due process to terrorism and the law; from international arbitration and other methods of alternative dispute resolution to the application of the law in fighting corruption. This is only to mention a few examples of the breath of our course offerings.

The subjects of our training are primarily selected by the requesting entities, whether they are governments, courts of law, Bar Associations, law schools, NGOs, international institutions or individual benefactors who wish to attract to their countries the international investor community which places a high premium on the existence of a developed legal and judicial system.

SUNSGLOW maintains total flexibility in custom-designing its well-focused programs to meet the specific needs of the beneficiaries. The duration of the programs range from two to five days. Each program is concluded with an objective evaluation and a discussion of future needs of the country or region where the program takes place.

Our trainers are primarily drawn from our Board of Advisors, consisting of distinguished men and women from various countries and diverse backgrounds. They are complemented by local or regional faculty, Bar Association resources and judges at all levels from various parts of the world. Our trainers are equipped to address the subjects in a variety of languages, primarily in Arabic, English and French.

In addition, SUNSGLOW is ably assisted by an ever-expanding corp of Associates, who hail from more than a dozen countries from around the world.

The cost of such training is highly competitive, since the primary purpose of SUNSGLOW, as perceived by its founder and president, Dr. Yassin El-Ayouty, Esq., is to serve civil society through global training in the Rule of Law.

Within its relatively short period of existence, SUNSGLOW, whose headquarters is in New York City, has established centers in the following regions: Africa and the Middle East, at the Cairo University School of Law in Egypt; the Caribbean, at the Caribbean Bar in Nassau, the Bahamas; and Europe, where we maintain a liaison office in Geneva, Switzerland. As we grow, new centers will be established to form what promises to be an integrated chain of regional centers.

SUNSGLOW aims at highlighting the role of these centers through inviting their regional representatives to its programs when held outside of their regions, making selected training material available to them for later use, and inviting their views on the choice of program topics and regional trainers.

SUNSGLOW utilizes various methods to diffuse information about its activities and other developments. In this regard, it depends primarily on its website (www.sunsglow.com), contacts with governments (primarily through permanent missions at the United Nations from which Yassin El-Ayouty retired after 32 years of service) and word of mouth of its Advisors, Associates, Friends and former trainees. This information flow is supplemented by SUNSGLOW’s quarterly newsletter, which can be found on this website, together with other helpful information.