{"id":299812,"date":"2023-03-08T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=299812"},"modified":"2023-03-08T00:51:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T04:51:25","slug":"as-lawyers-we-can-change-the-world-if-we-choose-says-commonwealth-secretary-general","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/as-lawyers-we-can-change-the-world-if-we-choose-says-commonwealth-secretary-general\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAs lawyers, we can change the world if we choose,\u201d says Commonwealth Secretary-General"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, in her keynote speech at the 23rd<\/sup>\u00a0Commonwealth Law Conference (CLC) held in Goa, India this week, called on lawmakers and the legal community to use their skills to take on the challenge of protecting the environment, improving governance, enhancing freedoms and enabling the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

This week marks 20 years since the adoption of the Commonwealth\u2019s Latimer House Principles. In her speech, the Secretary-General emphasized the importance of the progress made over the past 20 years and noted that the Latimer House Principles provide an effective framework for governments, parliaments and judiciaries to implement the Commonwealth\u2019s fundamental values.<\/p>\n

In her speech, Secretary-General Scotland said:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs lawyers, we can change the world if we choose. We are jointly charged to deliver justice, particularly for the poor, the marginalised, the silenced and the vulnerable. The Commonwealth must set an example. At a time of increased global insecurity caused by climate change, war and the ravages of Covid 19, we see that the economic scales continue to tip in favour of the powerful and away from the powerless. We must use the law as our weapon against injustice and wield it with skill and determination whilst teaching the next generation to do the same. There should be no difference between the law and justice, the law is the tool through which justice can be delivered, crafted and fashioned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organised by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), the 23rd CLC is being held in Goa, from 5-9 March 2023 on the theme of \u2018Common Challenges in Uncommon Times\u2019.<\/p>\n

In her speech, Secretary-General Scotland highlighted some of the most recent work of the\u00a0Commonwealth Secretariat\u2019s Law teams<\/a>\u00a0to increase access to justice for the vulnerable and use the law to fight the impacts of the multiple crises facing Commonwealth member states.<\/p>\n

Some of these tools include:<\/p>\n