Plenary Speech by Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam SC at Tashkent Law Spring 2021

22 APR 2021

22 Apr 2021 Posted in [Speeches]

Your Excellency, Minister of Justice of Uzbekistan, Mr Ruslanbek Davletov,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

  1. I’m honoured to be speaking here today.
  1. My colleague, Minister Edwin Tong, took part in the first edition of the Forum in 2019.
  1. Given the time available to us, I will just share a couple of points on the Rule of Law.

Change in way of life

  1. There has been a tremendous change around the world - how we live, work, interact with each other. Work can be done from anywhere, and people in different countries can meet at any time, like what we are doing now. On the whole, tremendous benefits have come through technology and connectivity. But the same connectivity and technology has also enabled crimes to be committed across jurisdictions.
  1. How can we make sure the Rule of Law works in the face of the challenges brought about by these changes?
  1. We will need new solutions, greater understanding between states on issues like:

– What national jurisdiction means in such an interconnected world.

– The impact on which laws apply, and how. For example, criminal laws, as well as in different contexts - laws relating to taxation, the way business is done across international frontiers, and how companies account for that.

Change to international order

  1. A second trend is that many more countries are taking part in the international system. We have a much more multi-polar world.
  1. At the same time, we can expect that we will see more frequent pandemics, health crises, and economic crises, which spread across the world.
  1. How can we create a rule-based order in this international context? How can we better harmonise our laws, at least in the areas where we interact? Which organisations can coordinate this?
  1. These are some of the questions – but I am not suggesting any solutions – I think the international community has got to start thinking about.
  1. Thank you.

Last updated on 22 Apr 2021