Invitation-only symposium draws high profile speakers

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Supreme Court Justices O’Connor, Breyer and Kennedy, and Senators Hillary Clinton and Lindsay Graham were among the dignitaries who addressed the ABA’s Rule of Law Symposium in November.

More than 400 judges, lawyers, government officials, academics and community organizers from every region of the world attended this first-of-its-kind symposium, which sought to broaden the existing movement to promote the rule of law globally and to devise new and coordinated strategies for its advancement.

The “rule of law,” a system of transparent, understandable and fair rules for the just functioning of societies, is critical for long-term political and economic stability, genuine democratic development, poverty reduction and the protection of human rights. When rule of law is not encouraged or adhered to, significant and obvious problems arise: terrorism, corruption, poverty, environmental degradation, economic collapse and health pandemics. The ABA-convened symposium to study these topics and to move toward developing a common interest in promoting a rule of law was held in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 9 — 10.

Speaking at the luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 9, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, “America ’s belief in the universal nature of human liberty, a belief we expressed in our Declaration and enshrined in our Constitution, now leads us into a world to help others win their freedom and secure it in law....Where weaker governments possess the will but lack the means to enforce the rule of law, we must empower them with the strength of our partnership. And where autocrats still rule by coercion of the state rather than by the consent of the governed, we must support the rights of their oppressed citizens, wherever they raise their voice for equal justice and lawful government.” A transcript of her full remarks is available here.

On Thursday, Sen. Hillary Clinton addressed the luncheon, expressing condolences to the people of Jordan one day after that country was hit by three separate suicide bombings, and citing the bombings as a clear reminder of the need for the rule of law. Following her remarks, Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor, Stephen G. Breyer and Anthony M. Kennedy responded to questions from the international audience about “The Role of the Judiciary in Promoting the Rule of Law.”

One panel focused on the rule of law and economic and business development, and featured John Bohn, chairman and CEO of GlobalNet Venture Partners and chairman of the Center for International Private Enterprise; former Prime Minister of Peru Roberto Dañino, now vice president and general counsel of The World Bank; Samuel Fried, senior vice president and general counsel of Limited Brands, Inc.; and Thomas Pickering, senior vice president of international relations for Boeing.

Other panels looked at corruption as a threat to the rule of law, the rule of law as it relates to pandemics and public health, the importance of the rule of law in preventing conflict and rebuilding societies, how the rule of law affects global poverty, and more. A keynote panel on Wednesday evening addressed the challenges of promoting the rule of law, and featured former Minister of Finance of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and former Minister of Justice of Jordan H.E. Dr. Salaheddin Al-Bashir. There were also regional breakfasts and an opening discussion on why the rule of law matters, which featured Hilario Davide, chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and Ana Palacio, former foreign minister of Spain.

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