Indonesia will host the 2022 Asia Pacific (Apac) Justice Forum on December 8-9, 2022, in Jakarta.
Indonesia was selected to host, as it has an important role in Southeast Asia, especially regarding its progress in the supremacy of law, according to World Justice Project (WJP) Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen.
“We organize the Apac Justice Forum in Jakarta because Indonesia has an important role in Southeast Asia. This year, Indonesia made some progress in strengthening the supremacy of law, based on data from the WJP Rule of Law Index 2022,” Andersen stated here on Wednesday.
The event will be opened by speeches from the Chief Justice of Indonesia’s Supreme Court Muhammad Syarifuddin and Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej.
WJP defines the rule of law as a sustainable system of laws, institutions, norms, and community commitments that is capable of providing accountability, just law, transparent government, and ease for all parties to access justice.
Although Indonesia is progressing in the WJP Rule of Law Index 2022, Andersen said, 71 percent of countries in the Asia-Pacific region experienced a decrease in the rule of law.
“With the stagnation and decline of the rule of law in most Asia-Pacific countries, it is important that stakeholders across the region jointly address challenges and find opportunities to increase the rule of law,” she explained.
Several speakers representing the government, private sector, and civil society from Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, will attend the Apac Justice Forum.
Three issues that will be the focus of discussion are independent judiciary, a healthy information ecosystem, and access to justice for minority groups.
In addition to WJP, the Apac Justice Forum is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Justice 2 (AIPJ2), the Singapore Ministry of Law, and other partners.
Source: Antara News