Mrs. María Juliana Ruiz, First Lady of the Republic of Colombia, moderated the panel “Women and consolidation of the rule of law” that served as a luxury appetizer for the XXVII World Law Congress held by the World Jurist Association in Barranquilla. The first lady assured that “we must build the future in a better way and do so through the law, which provides a legal, juridical, human and social framework.” And he stressed the importance of “teaching our girls the principle of equity, the fairness of everything based on respect, and that they do not have to learn more than anyone else, or be more than anyone, just be aware that they are part of a society and have rights and duties”. He added that in Colombia more than 50% of law students are women and more than 50% of those who practice are women, but less than 15% of them exercise the profession in managerial positions or with high salary, social or business recognition. “It seems paradoxical that having a majority of representation, we continue to be a minority in the ability to fully exercise it”, he added.

In this exclusive discussion for the media, the former Bolivian Minister of Foreign Relations participated during Janine Áñez’s term, Karen Longaric, who assured that she always tries to motivate her female students “so that they are encouraged to challenge that woman in a more secure way. deeply macho society and so that they can venture into different areas that have been a privilege for men, such as the judiciary, for example”. Along these lines, the first and only female president of the Constitutional Court of Chile, Marisol Peña Torres, recognized that “for 20 years until now the situation is much more equitable, since the new generations have learned to share the responsibilities of the home, and this point is important”. And he added that “it is not a fight or a claim against men,

For her part, the former president of the American Bar Association, Patricia Lee “Trish” Refo, pointed out the difficulty of being a woman and a lawyer in the United States, although she clarified that not impossible, despite the fact that it is the most common. In this regard, the president of the World Jurist Association (WJA) Spain and dean of the Barcelona Bar Association, María Eugenia Gay, highlighted that “in Spain there is a pyramidal structure in the field of justice that is alarming, because in the At the base, there is a majority presence of women and when ascending there is only a male presence, and that is why the necessary modernization of state structures is unquestionable”. At this meeting, which was presented by Manuel Aragón Reyes, academic director of the World Law Congress and emeritus magistrate of the Constitutional Court of Spain,

World Jurist Association Medals of Honor

During this day, the WJA awarded its Medal of Honor to the First Lady, who acknowledged collecting it “on behalf of all Colombian women and those of all nations, who work to achieve this visibility and ability to fully develop”. 

In addition, they were also delivered to co-organizers and sponsors of the congress. They were honored Wilson Ruiz Orejuela, President of the Organizing Committee of the World Law Congress Colombia 2021 and Minister of Justice of Colombia, Jaime Pumarejo Heins, Mayor of Barranquilla, Grupo Mutua Madrileña and Seguros del Estado, represented by Jaime Montalvo, and Francisco “Paco” Rodríguez collected the medal on behalf of The Icon, the tallest skyscraper in Barranquilla that precisely hosted this meeting with the media.

Rafel Puyol, president of the University of La Rioja, UNIR, Jorge Martí Moreno, president of the International Union of Lawyers (UIA), and María Eugenia Gay were also decorated. On Friday, December 3, during the development of the congress, the delivery of medals to other personalities and institutions will continue.

King Felipe VI has highlighted Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s “example of service to the rule of law and the values ​​of freedom and equality that are inherent to it.” And added “her firm defense of the Constitution as the supreme norm, her constant attention to its proper interpretation, was always linked to her conviction that the Constitution also performs a fundamental political function: to be a true instrument of social integration, an inclusive framework, in which society is reflected, in which political pluralism is guaranteed, and in which hope for a better future is preserved”. His Majesty King Felipe VI believes, as Ginsburg did, “that only by attending to the legal and political meanings of the Constitution can the ultimate goals it pursues be achieved: citizen coexistence in peace, justice and freedom, and where Human Rights are respected with the upmost dignity and efficiency”.

Regarding His Majesty King Felipe VI, Javier Cremades, president of the World Jurist Association (WJA) and the World Law Foundation (WLF), has recognized that “he has given and continues to give an admirable example of what a true constitutional king should be, committed with the Constitution and proper functioning of our democratic system and with faithful performance of his crucial role as king of a parliamentary monarchy”.

These statements took place during the Madrid Opening Session organized by the World Jurist Association and the World Law Foundation. An international meeting of jurists that counted with the presence of the world’s legal elite and that served as prelude to the celebration of the World Law Congress Colombia 2021, which will be held on December 2 and 3, and as a continuation of the previous sessions that have been taking place since last July. Two sessions, spread over two days, which included the International Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the international summit of Presidents.

In this session, Iván Duque, president of Colombia, also intervened, who telematically recognized that Colombia “is a state that protects human rights and that ensures protection, that seeks the objectivity of the law so that it is what defines the borders which no one can trample over the rights of others”. And insisted that “we must be able to understand the clamor of society when it seeks to claim rights and insist that these must be linked to the concept of peace.”

The event was attended by José Luis Martínez Almeida, mayor of Madrid, who praised the figure of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whom he described as “a giant of the law and the defense of gender equality.” He also stressed that “the legal norm and the law must govern and enable that desire that all democracies have for those who think differently to live together in common”. For her part, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, president of the Council of State, has praised the figure of Ginsburg, of whom she said that “she put her talent and intelligence at the service of a cause to which she dedicated her entire life: gender equality, and she did it with the law as her only tool”.

Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association, celebrated these days in which “we gather to celebrate the attendance of legal heroes and face the challenges of justice and the rule of law, in addition to encouraging each other to fight for equitable justice”. José María Alonso, dean of the Madrid Bar Association, has also recognized the role of the president of the World Jurist Association “for having promoted the Spain Brand through the legal profession.”

As part of the international tribute to the late US Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the round table “Mother, jurist and myth: I met Ruth Bader Ginsburg” was held, which was attended by Jane Ginsburg, Professor of Law at Columbia University and daughter of the honoree, who highlighted the relevance of the medals of honor, hoping that “the presentation and recognition of the exceptional cases of the eight winners will contribute to the equality of the legal profession and also in others . Jane Ginsburg has assured, as her mother did, that “legislation does not always advance until society does”.

The round table “Equality and the rule of law: contributions from international tribunals” was also convened, being the panel that has brought together, for the first time in history, representatives of the most important supranational courts in the world. 

In his closing speech, Javier Cremades expressed his desire for “these days to serve as encouragement to those who fight every day to achieve justice and peace through law, and allow progress with efficiency, speed and intelligence in the understanding of the great transformations, challenges and opportunities posed by society”.

 

The International Summit on the Rule of Law held on July 6 at Casa de América with occasion of the Opening Session Madrid, organized by the World Jurist Association (WJA) and the World Law Foundation (WLF), has been the stage for the official presentation of the World Law Congress Colombia 2021.

 

The Congress will be held on December 2 and 3 in Barranquilla after reaching an agreement between both entities. The signing of the agreement was made effective with the joint signature of Javier Cremades, president of the WJA, and Jaime Pumarejo Heins, Mayor of Barranquilla. Pumarejo has described the host city as “welcoming, seeking reconciliation and understanding of its capacity to move forward.” He has acknowledged receiving the celebration of the World Congress of Law with “enormous illusion”, which, he states, “celebrates our democracy and our constitution.”

 

For his part, Luis Guillermo Plata, Colombian ambassador to Spain,  has assured “ to be a country that has orchestrated change in recent years and will respond well to the development of the Congress”. The country’s Minister of Justice, Wilson Ruiz Orejuela, president of the Organizing Committee in Colombia for this event, described the Congress as “a great challenge to which we will give the best of ourselves by making the participants’ stay the best”, and he recalled that the policy of Iván Duque, president of Colombia, “is that of a social state respectful of the law.”

 

Witness of the agreement reached, Arancha González Laya, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, has dedicated her speech to talk about the rule of law, institutions, and democracy, which she said are “the basis on which our countries are settled”. In this regard, she has specified that “we must be humble and recognize that these are only solid if we solidify them, and this is a responsibility that resides in the community that this Congress represents, because the builders of the rule of law are, in first place, us jurists”. Regarding the congress to be hosted by the city of Barranquilla in December, Laya has highlighted three ideas that she believes should be addressed: technology, gender equality and climate change.

International Summit on the Rule of Law

This second day of the Opening Session Madrid brought together presidents of supreme and constitutional courts from different countries, and prominent international jurists, who have debated current issues in different discussion panels: “Regulations related to COVID and its effect on citizens”, “5G: privacy and cybersecurity”, “The independence of the judiciary in Europe and America”, “The rule of law in Mexico”, “The evolution of the role of women in justice in the XXI century” and, finally, the Eisenhower Fellowships association presenting the First Amendment Award 2021.

 

The closing ceremony was carried out by Viviane Reding, vice president of the World Law Foundation, who was accompanied by Juan José González Rivas, President of the Constitutional Court of Spain, Juan Carlos Campo, Minister of Justice, Victoria Ortega Benito, president of the General Council of Spanish Lawyers, and Lucio Ghia, president of the WJA between 1995 and 1997, among others.