The World Justice Project today opened the World Justice Forum IV – a global gathering designed to engage nearly 600 leaders, dignitaries, and innovators from more than 120 countries to address critical rule of law issues related to economic development, technology, supply chains, women’s rights, freedom of expression, and more.
Over the course of three days, participants will engage in formal plenary and active breakout sessions, learn about innovative rule of law programs, meet with researchers and scholars during Index office hours, and work together to develop practical, on-the-ground programs to strengthen the rule of law. Examples of past programs include ensuring women’s rights in Sierra Leone, helping marginalized communities in India obtain basic health care, promoting labor rights of indigenous workers in Mexico, combatting corruption in construction in Tunisia, protecting the rights of pollution victims in China, and increasing access to civil justice for the poor in the United States.
The Forum also provides a venue for discussion and debate about the findings of the WJP Rule of Law Index, the most comprehensive assessment tool of its kind that measures how well countries adhere to the rule of law in practice, reflecting the actual conditions experienced by their citizens.
Featured speakers include United States Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Deputy Speaker of the Tunisian National Assembly Mehrézia Labidi-Maïza; retired Director General of the Indian Police Service Kiran Bedi; lawyer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Founder & President of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran Dr. Shirin Ebadi; Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba; Advocate, Security Researcher & Developer of the TOR Project Jacob Appelbaum, Malian Singer & Executive Director of the Festival au Désert Manny Ansar; Writer, Activist, & Former Director General of the Egyptian Health Education Department Dr. Nawal El Saadawi; Founder & Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning Sakena Yakoobi; Founder & Chief Innovator, Grupo 42 Santiago Siri, and more.
The full agenda, speaker biographies, and multimedia are available at www.worldjusticeproject.org. Follow us on Twitter @TheWJP and on Facebook for meeting news and highlights. The event hashtag is #WJForum.