“After, three-days of deliberations, the meeting concluded with a set of proposed actions to be taken at the national and Commonwealth level to realise equal access to justice and justice transformation for all by 2030.”
Commonwealth Law Ministers meeting held in Mauritius [1]
Port Louis, Mauritius
Monday, November 28, 2022 - 23:02. Updated on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 - 21:53.
From left; Sione Sisifa, Hon. Samiu Vaipulu and Temaleti Manakovi 'a Pahulu at the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting. Mauritius, 25 November, 2022. Photo: Tonga Government
Tongan delegates led by Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Samiu Kuita Vaipulu, attended the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting 2022, in Mauritius form 22-25 November.
Tonga's delegation included the CEO for the Ministry of Justice, Temaleti Manakovi 'a Pahulu and Solicitor General, Sione Sisifa.
Coming together under the theme: 'Strengthening International Cooperation through the Rule of Law and the Protection of Human Rights', law Ministers shared a commitment to principles of equity, justice and the protection of human rights, a statement from the Commonwealth said.
Commonwealth Law Ministers also endorsed the programmes proposed by the Commonwealth Secretariat in the Commonwealth Plan of Action on Equal Access to Justice [2].
They also recognised the urgent need to deliver justice to as many people as possible in a sustainable manner, requiring a shift to more evidence-based, data-driven justice solutions.
Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting, Mauritius, 25 November, 2022. Photo: The Commonwealth
Another key development during meeting was the unanimous agreement of Law Ministers [3] to recommend the 'Commonwealth Principles on Freedom of Expression and the Role of the Media in Good Governance' to Commonwealth Leaders to consider at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The meeting hosted by the Attorney General’s Office of Mauritius is the first in-person meeting of the Law Ministers, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Law [9]