June Rule of Law Highlights

A look around the world at the latest rule of law events in June

Syrian American Medical Society's 13th Annual International Conference - Amman, Jordan, June 22-25

SAMS was formed to increase safe access to medical care and medical supplies in Syria and its surrounding areas. Since 2011, there has been a medical crisis in Syria and many doctors have left, been jailed, or been killed. They have launched the "Save Syrian Lives Campaign" and are committed to strengthening medical access and saving lives during this time of conflict. The theme of the upcoming June conference is: Medical and Surgical Practice in Countries during Crises: Maximizing the Use of Limited Resources. Read more...

Bangladesh: 2013 Global Meet on Sustainable Development, Dhaka, June 15 & 16

Held by Secure Nutrition, the meet will focus on poverty eradication, food security and sustainable agriculture, global health, as well as access to justice and technology. Civil society organizations and grassroots campaigns will meet to encourage better discourse between society and policymakers. Read more...

Vienna+20 Conferences, June 25-28

The purpose of these conferences is to address current human rights issues around the world. The 1993 Vienna Plan of Action will be assessed, which was crafted in June of 1993 at the Second World Conference on Human Rights with an emphasis on the universality of fundamental rights.  There will be an ETO conference, a CSO conference, and a conference hosted by the Austrian government which will bring government officials, international organizations, UN rapporteurs, and various members of civil society together to discuss current and future issues regarding human rights. Read more...

Singapore: New MDA requirements go into effect, June 1

Online news sites reporting on local issues will now need an individual license from content regulator, Media Development Authority (MDA), as the Singapore government seeks more consistency with traditional news platforms. Sites reporting on Singapore news will require individual licenses if they meet the stipulated criteria. In a statement released today, MDA said the new requirement will take effect June 1 for news sites with significant reach among readers and that report regularly on Singapore. Read more...

Kuwait: Constitutional Court Verdict on Election Law Due, June 16

Kuwait's opposition will boycott any future poll under a controversial electoral law amended last year, even if the constitutional court upholds the amendment next month, a former MP said on Monday. Former opposition MPs decided not to participate in any polls without a reinstatement of the 2006 electoral law in which voters chose a maximum of four candidates. The amended law only allows voters to choose one candidate, and the current 50-seat parliament is entirely made up of government loyalists. The constitutional court's rulings are final, and the highly anticipated verdict is due to be handed down on June 16. The court could uphold the amended law, completely scrap the amendment, and possibly order the dissolution of parliament. Read more...

United Kingdom: Consultation on cuts to legal aid closes, June 4

The Government is currently consulting on a second round of legal aid cuts. Some of the changes involve removing legal aid for prisoners who challenge the way they are treated behind bars, introducing an income threshold above which defendants can no longer receive legal aid, amendments to the civil merits test to prevent funding of cases with less than a 50% chance of success, and reducing fees to experts across court cases. This time, savings of £220m per year are estimated. Read more...