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About Us
INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS AND ECONOMISTS FOR DEVELOPMENT
ILaED.ORG
Founded in 2021, ILaED.org is an international non-Government Organization seeking to empower women and girls economically. We help women and girls attain income security, decent work, and economic autonomy by supporting their professional and entrepreneurial growth and mentorship. Working in Africa, Parts of Asia, parts of the Caribbean, Pacific States and Europe, we deal with topics of trade, intellectual property, technology, e-commerce, regional integration, and gender.
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OUR MISSION
Our mission is to support, educate and inspire women and girls
We want to help them create wealth through entrepreneurship and professional skills, by leveraging capacity building, technical assistance and mentorship. We seek to contribute to the global efforts towards gender equality, targeting especially women and girls from underserved communities. We seek to consistently deliver high-quality services to our clients, enabling people to develop sustainable solutions that best suit their social and economic environments.
OUR VISION
Our vision is a world where women and girls, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities with men
We also want them to be equipped with skills to attain their full economic potential.
OUR VALUES
We value people, integrity and partnerships
We value people and believe in their ability to effect positive and sustainable change
We value integrity and respect so providing exceptional services and respect everyone’s worth and dignity is part of our identity.
We value partnerships, so cooperation and collaboration with other organizations and people is key to our work
We offer teaching and training in the core areas, with the view to building skills and increasing economic capacity of women and girls, especially in the developing world. We believe in solutions which are owned by the beneficiaries, adapted to the local context and implemented within the resources available while focusing on maximizing output.
ILaED.org is cognizant of international and regional standards for the protection and promotion of women’s rights, such as the SDGs. We therefore target to accelerate the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of women by 2030. We are also mindful of the international and regional economic standards and rules, such as from the WTO, ITC, World Bank, WIPO, UNCTAD, that might enhance economic empowerment of women. ILaED.org strives to equip women and girls to benefit from the various instruments but also look beyond them, where appropriate, in order to gain their economic empowerment. We also deliver sustainable technical assistance, consulting services, research as well as technical and policy advice.
Our Team
Dr. Susan Isiko Štrba
Co-Founder
Dipl.-Eng. Fridrich Štrba
Co-Founder
Dr. Michael D. Kaluya
Co-Founder
Dr. Susan Isiko Štrba is currently a Senior Research and Policy Advisor at the International Lawyers and Economists for Development (IlaED.Org). She combines teaching and research with providing policy and legislative advice and technical training to governments, intergovernmental organizations and civil society. She focuses mainly on human rights, intellectual property (IP), trade and development. Dr Isiko Strba is the author of International Copyright Law and Access to Education in Developing Countries: Exploring Multilateral Legal and Quasi-Legal Solutions, a leading guide to the functioning of international copyright law for the public interest in developing countries. She has also published numerous journal articles in the field of human rights, trade, IP and development including food security, education, health and pubic private partnerships. She has also written opinion pieces on women and technology and women and e-commerce. Dr Isiko Štrba currently researches the interface of technology, intellectual property and the African Continental Free Trade Area. She is a member of the International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property (ATRIP) and a member of the Executive Council of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL).
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She has taught Intellectual property, competition law and human rights in various institutions including: the Boston University (Geneva International Campus), The Graduate Institute, Trade Policy Training Centre in Africa (TRAPCA), the International University in Geneva, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and the WIPO Academy.
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Dr Isiko Štrba brings to IlaED.org expertise in IP and education, IP and food security, IP and health, Trade, women and technology, and women and e-commerce, and the AfCFTA.
Fridrich Štrba has worked for several decades in the software industry, especially on various Free and Open Source projects, including LibreOffice or OpenJDK. His field of interest is software freedom, privacy protection and access to data. He is co-founder of the Document Liberation Project, an initiative which aims at allowing users to truly own their documents and access their data without depending on a single vendor.
Fridrich Štrba holds a Masters degree in Engineering, (Cybernetics in Transports and Telecommunications), from University of Žilina, Slovakia. He also holds Masters degree (Diplôme des études supérieures) in International Relations with specialization of International Law, from the Graduate Institute of International Studies of the University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Fridrich Štrba brings to ILAED.org expertise in technology and innovation as well as in related legal issues.
Dr. Michael D. Kaluya the Associate Dean for the business department, and Professor of Economics at Tarrant County College, Northeast Campus, Hurst, TX, where he teaches macro and microeconomics. Previously, he taught economics, management, government and logistics at Dallas College, Lancaster, TX.
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Dr Kaluya is an established consultant with Center for Public Policy & Global Business Initiatives (CPGBI), Grand Prairie, Texas, working in areas of Economic development, public policy, public administration and international business. He is the founder and senior consultant for Interdoc Processing Solutions International LLC, Irving, TX – an integrated legal paperwork processing and educational research-consulting firm. Dr Kaluya is also the co-founder of the Foundation for Transformative Education & Community Engagement; an educational consortium that explores avenues for reexamining resource allocation modalities to ensure equity and quality in workforce development to meet national development imperatives.
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Dr Kaluya is the author of “The Audacity to Change! Breaking the Berlin Wall in Africa,”a captivating book on African underdevelopment.
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Dr Kaluya brings to IlaED.org expertise in development, economics, law, migration and education.