The Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ), in collaboration with the Institute for Global Law and Policy (IGLP) of Harvard Law School, initiated “TIJ-IGLP Workshop for Emerging Leaders”, a five-day workshop series for scholars, emerging leaders, and youths, aimed at laying the groundwork for a solid education in the rule of law for sustainable development, not only among a network of legislators but all interrelated parties in global communities.
In line with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stated in its 2030 Agenda, the rule of law serves as a cornerstone to achieve just and peaceful societies, and a fundamental catalyst for reaching all SDGs. The rule of law is not an issue for legislators or scholars alone: it is related to all dimensions of economic and social development of global communities.
As a core agency to promote rule of law education in Thailand, TIJ joined hands with the world-class IGLP, Harvard Law School to stage “TIJ-IGLP Workshop for Emerging Leaders”, the first conference of its kind in Southeast Asia. It was a rare opportunity for scholars, policymakers, business people, and personalities in various spheres to congregate to form a phenomenal platform of knowledge and experience sharing on the rule of law.
Prof. Dr. Kittipong Kittyarak, TIJ executive director said: “Harvard Law School is one of the world’s leading law schools with a comprehensive network of faculties, experts, and scholars in global law and policymaking who can relate to TIJ’s core mission. Therefore, it was a very good opportunity to work together to promote the rule of law among the public.
“The objective of the TIJ-IGLP workshops is to cultivate appreciation of the importance of the rule of law, particularly its vital role in the achievement of sustainable development. The workshops provide a platform that encourages constructive discussion among practitioners and promotes learning through experience-sharing. With deeper understanding about the rule of law an essential catalyst for sustainable development, participants become part of an ever-growing network of emerging leaders who act as agents of change in their respective fields, and bridge thinking into practice.”
Prof. Dr. David Kennedy, IGLP director, said: “IGLP has been doing workshops and other educational programs on global law and policymaking for ten years in different countries. Here in Thailand, we found TIJ to be the perfect partner. At the workshops, we put emerging leaders and policymakers together so that we could hear about their cutting-edge research, making the experience most fruitful. The key goals of these workshops include developing ongoing networks among scholars and policymakers through peer-to-peer work, rather than staging a conventional lecture or presentation. What is most interesting at the workshops is when participants teach each other and learn from each other. We hope that these workshops will prove a good starting point for all participants to develop lessons learned for the benefit of sustainable development in their particular circumstances and contexts.”
“It must be understood that the rule of law is not a single recipe. Each society needs to interpret the rule of law in its own way according to its contexts. However, the key is that the citizens in each society engage in legal power and know how to exercise their rights appropriately.”
The TIJ-IGLP co-workshop comprises three programmes, targeting three major groups of attendees. The IGLP Workshop for Scholars on the Rule of Law and Policy is for academics and researchers to collectively nurture innovative approaches to global policy in researches to promote the rule of law and proceed to policy advocacy. TIJ Workshops for Emerging Leaders on the Rule of Law and Policy encourage practitioners from Asia and beyond to unlock the compile dynamic linkages between the rule of law and policymaking processes at different levels and form a large network of emerging leaders who broaden the concept of the rule of law to the public at both regional and international levels. Student workshop for Next-Gen Global Leaders is TIJ’s new initiative, in cooperation with Chulalongkorn University’s Law School and with the support of IGLP, to educate undergraduate law students about the rule of law in policymaking processes.
The workshops for scholars and emerging leaders were joined by over 120 participants from 51 countries worldwide, including 50 faculties from over 20 world’s leading universities in 16 countries.
TIJ and IGLP also hosted TIJ International Forum on the Rule of Law, “Converging Perspective from Global to Regional on the Rule of Law.” The international forum offered important insights into the rule of law from five perspectives: policy; civic engagement; the rule of law in a global context; regional policy initiatives; and tackling inequality. Knowledge sharing by the world-class scholars was the forum’s highlight.
Voices of participants.
Sarinee Acharanuntakul, Managing Director, Knowledge Development
Sal Forest Co., Ltd., a research company specialised in sustainability
“This is a rare opportunity to engage with scholars and policymakers and exchange ideas with them. I was impressed with the quality of professors and academics. Clearly they are world-class scholars who are passionate about different areas of the rule of law and sustainable development. It was a good opportunity to attend wonderful lectures and join workshops run by some of the world’s top scholars. It helped me broaden my perspectives.”
Viengthavisone Thephachanh
Member of the National Assembly of Lao PDR and Vice-Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee
“As a legislator, law is regarded as a tool to control and govern people. But at these workshops, it was time to open my mind and learn how the rule of law must embrace conventional law-making to create sustainable development in global communities. The workshops gave me another tool and approach to apply the rule of law in legislating and policymaking in my country. It gave me clearer understanding of how to scrutinise laws and make them implementable and accountable.”
