As early in January 1959 New Delhi hosted the International Congress of Jurists on the topic of "The Rule of Law in a Free Society’, which was organized by the International Commission of Jurists. The Indian organization team for the Congress included the then Chief Justice of India Mr. S R Das, Attorney General for India Mr. M. C. Setalvad, Mr. C. K. Dapthary, Solicitor General of India, Mr. K. M. Munshi, Chairman of Indian Law Institute and others, who also founded the Bar Association of India in the same year. The Bar Association of India was formally inaugurated on 2nd April, 1960 by the President of the Republic of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad, in the presence of Vice President Dr. S. N. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Chief Justice of India Mr. Justice S. R. Das, with Mr. M. C. Setalvad, then Attorney General for India, as the Founding President. It was in the spirit of those times that promotion of the Rule of Law became one of the central objectives of the Bar Association of India.
Mr. Jean Flavien Lalive, then Secretary General of the International Commission of Jurists, described the significance of the Congress being held at New Delhi in these words, “The impressive list of participants and the inspiring setting of this event in the capital of a country long renowned for its determined search for peace under justice in its foreign relations and for a faithful adherence to the principles of the Rule of law in its internal administration, have attracted vide international attention to the deliberations of the Congress... It is generally recognized that the Declaration of Delhi and the conclusions elaborated by the four committees of the Congress represent a major achievement in the effort to formulate the Rule of Law and to specify its role in our changing world”.
With India today being the world’s largest democracy with a history of uninterrupted change of governmental power through free and fair elections based on universal adult franchise and home to one of the most powerful and independent judiciaries in the World, with independent institutions functioning under a Constitutional framework, Rule of Law in India has thrived despite facing enormous challenges of having to provide for needs and aspirations of world’s largest population, New Delhi becomes an appropriate place for holding deliberations on the Rule of Law, especially for the Global South.
In this 2nd Edition of the New Delhi International Rule of Law Convention, the Bar Association of India is inviting the global Legal and Rule of Law Community to deliberate on the concept of International Economic Rule of Law from the point of view of challenges and aspirations of the Global South. Some of the economic challenges today have become pronounced even for the Global North.
The Convention will make an effort to analyze whether implementation of the major SDGs framed by the United Nations can be achieved without envisaging a global economic and financial governance system rooted in the core values and principles of the Rule of Law, “which have great significance for the orderly conduct of relations between States”, as noted by Jean Flavien Lalive during 1959 New Delhi Congress.
Some of the major themes proposed for discussion during the Convention include "Key Principles of the International Rule of Law and Economic Justice and their application in International Economic Governance’, "Anti Money Laundering Regulations and FATF Framework: Issues of Over-compliance and Financial Exclusion in Global South’, "Debt Crisis and the Rule of Law’, "Climate Justice and Climate Finance’, "Digital Governance Tools and the Rule of Law’ and "Capacity Building in the Legal Professions of Global South for Commercial Disputes Resolution’.
One of the key highlights of the 2025 Convention will be holding of the New Delhi Rule of Law General Assembly which will take up for deliberations and adoption certain resolutions, developed collaboratively in order to demonstrate the collective voice of the Global Rule of Law Community.
PRASHANT KUMAR
President
Organised by:
