MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands at Magistrates and Judges Conference in Rwanda

Judge Malcolm Simmons Senior Magistrate

The Falklands Government has said they are proud to have Senior Magistrate Malcolm Simmons represent the Islands at the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association Conference, which took place this week in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme of “Environmental Justice”.

Reports on the ending of the event 8/12 September, CMJA members have committed to advancing environmental justice and other forms of justice in their respective countries, in the wake of climate-related challenges the world is facing today, that directly impact other aspects of life. This means allocating more resources and time to address urgent issues affecting citizens such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution from legal and judicial perspectives.

Addressing members of the media, Dr. Faustin Ntezilyayo, Chief Justice of Rwanda, and Justice Lynne Leitch, President of the CMJA, who co-chaired the conference which was opened by President Paul Kagame, said that the Kigali Conference was a major success and came up with key resolutions that will guide member states on the next course of action.

“We have had very good discussions about the theme we had but also about other issues and subjects that are of interest for us, particularly relating to environmental justice, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. We agreed to go back to our countries and ensure that our citizens receive justice as they should and in a timely manner,” Dr. Ntezilyayo said.

The Chief Justice said that they leave Kigali understanding that there cannot be environmental justice in the absence of environmental laws, independent and efficient judicial institutions entrusted with environmental issues as well as all matters of justice and each country will do what it can, within its means, and collectively, they can make a difference.

On her part, Justice Leitch said that the Kigali Conference, which followed the 2023 Cardiff Conference was attended by 317 delegates from across the Commonwealth, representing 44 jurisdictions, who discussed the way forward on some of the pertinent issues the Commonwealth family is facing relating to the environment and the role magistrates and judges can play.

“The Commonwealth shares common values for respect of the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary, and our association which represents magistrates and judges across the Commonwealth was formed to promote education within the Judiciary, enhance the administration of justice across the Commonwealth,”

“We also have a duty to promote respect for the independence of the Judiciary and I can say our meeting here in Kigali was already a success before it even started because of the large number of delegates who have attended from so many jurisdictions,” Justice Leitch said, commending Rwanda for successfully hosting the meet.

Finally Chief Justice Ntezilyayo pointed out that, “we can’t deliver justice without having the trust of the population. We will continue to be guided by those principles and to implement them in our daily activities as Judicial officers”

For his part, senior Magistrate underlined “it is an honor, as resident judge of the Falkland Islands, to attend the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association Conference in Rwanda. It is an important opportunity for judges from across the Commonwealth to address common challenges”.