The Kenyan Section of International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya) will host the Annual Jurists Conference (AJC) in Kwale County from Tuesday 20th to 22nd November 2019.
The conference theme is dubbed: “Technology, Development and the Rule of Law: Challenges, Options and Emerging Opportunities” will examine the future of rule of law in the context of technology and development.
Specifically, it will evaluate threats and challenges, identify gaps in legislative and policy frameworks with a view to suggesting plausible and practical recommendations.
Participants drawn from the government, civil society, legal practitioners, representatives of the private sector and academia from the region, will examine three development frontiers: Governments and Development, Human Rights, Technology and new media and Civic space have interacted with the rule of law and rethink the emerging global, regional and national trends for each frontier.
According to the conferences’ concept note, Africa is the new economic frontier, and African governments have partnered tremendously with development partners.
“Unfortunately, what development efforts should promise, and how they should be implemented, are questions that have triggered glitches in the recent past,” writes Cecilia Mugo, Programme Manager, Governance at ICJ Kenya.
“The rule of law and development are strongly interrelated and mutually reinforcing concept: the advancement of the rule of law at the national, regional and international levels is essential for sustained and inclusive economic growth, eradication of poverty and hunger and the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development all of which in turn reinforce the rule of law.”
Key speakers at the conference will include Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Judge Ann Claire Williams, Christopher Akiwumi, Director for Government and Regulatory Affairs for Microsoft Middle East and Africa; Hon. Michael Onyango, Distributed Ledgers and Artificial Intelligence Taskforce at Ministry of ICT, Kenya; Serge Brammertz, Chief Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals since 29 February 2016; Emilia Siwingwa, Advocate of the High Court of Tanzania among others.
The Annual Jurists Conference organized by ICJ Kenya brings together members of the Bench and the Bar as well as other participants from the African continent and around the world to discuss various issues.
