Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland arrived in Mauritius on Monday for the first in-person Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting (CLMM) since 2019.

The three-day meeting is held under the theme: ‘Strengthening international cooperation through the rule of law and the protection of human rights’

On her arrival in Mauritius, Scotland said, "I thank our host government, for your warm welcome to this beautiful country of Mauritius, and for your active leadership within the Commonwealth. It is a true delight to be back with Ministers in person after the grief and separation of the pandemic, which has kept us apart for so long.”

She added that "Here, in Mauritius, our Law Ministers will consider vital reforms and examine the extensive technical and practical assistance that the Commonwealth Secretariat offers to all member countries. Assistance in areas such as improving access to justice, adapting to the digitalisation of courts, climate change and food security challenges, military justice reforms, anti-corruption, cybersecurity, and much more.”

In 2019, Commonwealth Law Ministers adopted a Declaration on Access to Justice, with the aim of prioritising access to justice across the Commonwealth, particularly in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more specifically Target 16.3 which calls on countries to ‘Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all’.

To draw tangible outputs from the Ministerial Declaration on Access to Justice, the Commonwealth Secretariat designed a practical Plan of Action. The Declaration on Access to Justice contained 5 key priorities and added a list of imperatives to be implemented by member states and the Secretariat to achieve these commitments.

The Declaration on Access to Justice urges Commonwealth member states to use people-friendly approaches to address the barriers to access to justice. This includes the use of technology to provide access to legal services as well as enhanced delivery of justice services.

At this week’s meeting, Law ministers will hear presentations on the themes of people-centered justice and the future of our courts.

Sam Muller from The Hague Institute on Innovation in Law will speak to the meaning of people-centered justice, which is an evidence-based and innovation-centered approach to justice. Law Ministers will be challenged to consider if their justice systems can achieve greater efficiency by being data-driven. This approach requires an empirical understanding of the legal needs of people which then guides justice delivery.

Lawyer and technologist Professor Richard Susskind OBE, a leading expert in the use of artificial intelligence in courts, will lead ministers in a discussion about reimagining the courts of the future. Dan Svantesson, from Australia’s Bond University, will also present a paper on the use of artificial intelligence in decision-making across the Commonwealth. Law Ministers will consider the degree to which artificial intelligence can and should be used in judicial decision-making.