The International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions (IASAJ)
Background
The International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions (IASAJ) was established in 1981 and has its office in Paris, France. It was established with the aim of promoting the exchange of opinions and experience among administrative judicial organizations in different countries that have authority to make final decisions on cases that arise from the actions of state agencies or officials.
The Administrative Court of Thailand became a member of IASAJ in 2003 and some personnel of the Administrative Court have been appointed to important positions within the Association, including President of the Association, Vice President, and members of committees responsible for technical cooperation activities. At the 8th Congress of the Association in 2004, Hon. Dr. Ackaratorn Chularat, President of the Supreme Administrative Court, was appointed President of the Association. From 22nd to 24th November 2007, the Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand hosted the 9th Congress and the Board Meeting in Bangkok under the title “The Status of Administrative Judges”.
At the 9th Congress, Hon. Dr. Ackaratorn Chularat, in his position as current president of the Association, handed over the position to the Honourable Justice Garry Downes, President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Honourable Chief Justice Michael Black, President of the Federal Court of Australia. Hon. Dr. Ackaratorn Chularat was then elected Vice President. In 2010, Hon. Dr. Hassavut Vititviriyakul, President of the Supreme Administrative Court, was appointed Vice President of the Association, continuing on from Hon. Dr. Ackaratorn Chularat who completed his term of office in 2010.
From the 9th to 14th April, 2011, the President of the Supreme Administrative Court and accompanying party attended the Board Meeting of the Association in Vienna, Austria. The Board Meeting agreed to a motion to establish a working committee to develop technical cooperation activities by adjusting and improving the work model of the Board and make its work more efficient. This committee was comprised of representatives from judicial organizations in six regions and was presided over by the President of the Council of State of Belgium, Hon. Mr. Robert Anderson. The Thai Supreme Administrative Court was the representative for the Asia-Pacific Region. The Thai Supreme Administrative Court selected Mr. Charnchai Sawangsagdi, President of a Chamber of the Supreme Administrative Court, to be its representative.
Heads of Delegates and Secretary General of the IXth Congress of the International Association of
Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions had an Audience with His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great
at Chitralada Rahotan Royal Residence on 23rd November, 2007.
Meeting of the Board of Directors at the Reception Building, the Administrative Court Premises
on 23rd November, 2007
Group Photo of the Board
Closing Ceremony
Dinner Reception on 22nd November, 2007
Members of the Committee were as follows:
1) President of the Committee, Hon. Mr. Robert Anderson, President of the Council of State of Belgium;
2) Representative for Africa, Hon. Mr. Georges Amangoua, President of the Administrative Cases Department of the Supreme Court of Ivory Coast;
3) Representative for North America, Hon. Mr. Pierre Blais, President of the Federal Court of Appeals of Canada;
4) Representative for South America, Hon. Mr. Marco Antonio Moreno Velilla, Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court of Colombia;
5) Representative for Europe, Hon. Mr. Eckertz-Höfer, President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Germany;
6) Representative for Maghreb Middle-East, Hon. Mr. Soucri Chader, President of the Council of State of Lebanon; and
7) Representative for Asia-Oceania, Hon. Dr. Charnchai Sawangsagdi, President of a Chamber of the Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand.
This committee drafted new regulations for the Association and presented them to the 11th Congress held from 4th to 14th April, 2013 in Cartagena, Colombia and the new regulations were accepted by the Congress.
In 2013: a new Board was to be appointed on the completion of term of the previous Board so the Secretary of the Association sent a letter to each of the member countries asking if they intended to apply to be members of the Board. The term of office for members of the Board was six years and three years for members of sub-committees. The Administrative Court of Thailand applied for a position on the new Board and at the General Assembly a motion was passed appointing the Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand to be a Board member as representative of Asia-Oceania for a period of six years until 2019.
In addition, the Board passed a motion to broaden the scope of activities of the Association, especially in the dissemination of books on law and decisions by judges that could be used as benchmarks by all member countries to increase the number of activities by establishing internet forums for the expression of opinions among members (on the Association website), organizing seminars on various topics - beginning with bilateral seminars organized by two member countries - and to commence the exchange of judges between member countries to expedite the exchange of knowledge on judicial practices. At present, the Association has one hundred and five countries and international judicial organizations as associate members. These are divided into three types: sixty-eight member jurisdictions, fourteen observer organizations, and twenty-three invited jurisdictions.
Meetings of the Association
The IASAJ organizes a large conference (Congress) every three years. Each congress is composed of three sub-group meetings, a Board Meeting and a General Assembly. As a member of the IASAJ, the Administrative Court of Thailand has participated in congress and board meetings of IASAJ. Furthermore, in 2019, the Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand was appointed to be a member of the Management Committee. The committee monitors the execution of the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Board. It convenes at least once a year.
• During 24th to 27th June, 2019, Mr. Sumath Roygulcharoen, President of the Budgetary and Financial Discipline Division of the Supreme Administrative Court together with his delegation attended the XIII Congress of the International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions (IASAJ) on "Public Law and New Digital Technologies" in Mexico City, United Mexican States.
• On 28th September, 2020, Mr. Vishnu Varunyou, Vice-President of the Supreme Administrative Court and Board Member representing of the Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand attended the International Association of the Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions Board Meeting hosted by the Council of State of Greece via video conference.
• On 30th September, 2021, the Council of State of Belgium hosted the meeting of IASAJ Management Committee via Zoom video-conferencing program from Brussels, the Kingdom of Belgium. The Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand as a Management Committee member attended the meeting. In this regard, assigned by the President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand, Vice-President Vishnu Varunyou as a representative of the Supreme Administrative Court participated in the said meeting.
• Mr. Vishnu Varunyou, Vice-President of the Supreme Administrative Court as head of delegation, together with Mr. Prasitsak Meelarp, Vice-President of the Supreme Administrative Court, and Mr. Pornchai Manussiripen, President of Environmental Division of the Supreme Administrative Court, attended XIV Congress of International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions (IASAJ) on " The Role of the Administrative Jurisdictions during the Coronavirus Crisis”, during 20 -22 June 2022, in Brussels, the Kingdom of Belgium, and discussion on technical cooperation titled “Administrative Court Procedure for Environmental Cases” with the Council of State of France on 23 June 2022 in Paris, the French Republic.
• During 2nd to 3rd October, 2023, Mr. Vishnu Varunyou, Vice President of the Supreme Administrative Court, as a board member of the International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions - IASAJ, attended the Board Meeting as well as the seminar on “Judicial Review of the Acts of Independent Administrative Authorities” hosted by the Council of State of Türkiye in Ankara, Republic of Türkiye.
• On 25th June, 2024, Vice-President Vishnu Varunyou as a representative of the Supreme Administrative Court participated in the 2024 Meeting of Management Committee of International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions via Zoom video-conferencing program.
In addition, the Court has joined the Exchange Program for Judges as follows:
• In 2023 Mr. Pairoj Minden, Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court, attended the 2023 Exchange Program in the Supreme Administrative Court of Portugal.
The Administrative Court of Thailand also had the opportunity to host judges from the IASAJ member countries as part of the Exchange Program for Judges as follows:
• In 2015 Mr. Maman Bachir Yahaya, Judge of the Council of State of Niger;
• In 2016 Mrs. Małgorzata Wolf - Kalamala, Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland;
• In 2017 Mr. Léon Désiré Zalo, Judge of the Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ivory Coast;
• In 2018 Ms. Aliki Pasipoularidou, Member of the Council of State of the Hellenic Republic;
• In 2019 Mrs. Fatouma Bouzegzi, Judge of the Council of State of Algeria; and
• In 2023 Mrs. Saloua Mazouz, Judge of the Supreme Court of Morocco
• In 2024 Mr. Peter Potásch, Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court of the Slovak Republic
• In 2025 Mr. Vasile Bîcu, Judge of the High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania – Administrative and Tax Litigation Chamber
Mr. Maman Bachir Yahaya, Judge of the Council of State of Niger
Mrs. Małgorzata Wolf – Kalamala, Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland
Mr. Léon Désiré Zalo, Judge of the Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ivory Coast
Ms. Aliki Pasipoularidou, Member of the Council of State of the Hellenic Republic
Mrs. Fatouma Bouzegzi, Judge of the Council of State of Algeria
Mrs. Saloua Mazouz, Judge of the Supreme Court of Morocco
Benefits to the Administrative Court of Thailand derives from being a Member of IASAJ
By being a member of the International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions, the Administrative Court of Thailand gains and shares technical knowledge on administrative law whether in the form of sharing experiences and opinions with courts or judicial organizations in foreign countries or through cooperation among judges or court officials in study and research into administrative law or exchanging knowledge on ways to decide on administrative cases. All of these can be used to develop administrative law in Thailand in the future, especially by studying final judgments of administrative cases in IASAJ members.
The participation of the Administrative Court as a member in the Association will be an assurance to the people in Thailand that adjudication of administrative cases by the Administrative Court will be in accordance with international standards of administrative law. Further, developing administrative law will lead to good administrative practices - one element of “Good Governance”. Good administrative practices will be able to protect the rights and liberties of the Thai people and balance them against the common good. It will also contribute to the Thai nation and the Thai people becoming more well-known in international forums relating to administrative law and demonstrate to the world community the potential of our country to be one of the countries in the Asian region that has developed a good system of administrative law. We can also show that, in the future, Thailand may become a knowledge center on administrative law for this region
