Government facilitates International Justice Seminar in Dili
Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and
Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste
Dili, August 1st, 2016
Government facilitates International Justice Seminar in Dili
The Government, particularly through the efforts of the Ministry of Justice, has helped to facilitate an International Seminar on “Courts Under the Rule of Law” which has taken place between the 27th and 29th of July at the main hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. The seminar brought together judges, university professors, lawyers and jurists from Portuguese speaking countries around the world to discuss issues related to rule of law, judicial independence and judicial policies, systems and management.
At the opening ceremony Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Rui Maria de Araújo, noted that the “seminar takes on considerable institutional relevance, particularly for our young country of Timor-Leste”. He said that the Timorese people “can be proud of having created the infrastructures for the institutions and services that are essential to a sovereign State under the rule of law”, which “naturally include the institutions of justice”, whilst reminding “we need continue working in order to improve and strengthen these institutions.”
During the first two days of the seminar judicial actors from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Timor-Leste participated in four panel discussions. The third and final day of the seminar incorporated the General Assembly meeting of the International Union of Portuguese Speaking Judges.
The legislative and justice sector reforms of the VI Constitutional Government were also discussed. These include research on standardizing and harmonizing laws currently being undertaken by the Legislative and Justice Sector Reform Commission. The Prime Minister noted that judicial organization needed to continue to develop in a way that brought “courts closer to the people” and made people confident that “justice institutions work”. The Government is supporting the strengthening of both human and technological resources within the sector to allow the delivery of quality services in a more timely fashion.
The Prime Minister commended all involved in convening the seminar and stressed “the importance of magistrates and all legal officers and the high level role they play in serving the interests of the nation and its citizens.”
