Archie, Carmona praise CCJ for hemispheric meeting

CHIEF Justice Ivor Archie and former president Anthony Carmona praised the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for successfully hosting the first hemispheric meeting of regional courts in the Americas.

The two-day conference began on Thursday morning and ended on Friday afternoon.

The CCJ said the conference featured heads of judiciaries, senior judicial officers, jurists, academics, and policy-makers from across the region.

The theme was Rule of Law and International Justice.

Archie said he was thankful for being invited to the conference, adding that the discussions were "enlightening and stimulating.

"It gave me much food for thought and I want to congratulate the organisers and the presenters. The standard of the presentation was extremely high."

Carmona hailed the conference as "visionary" adding that "We must ensure that we meet the needs of our society in a manner that's fair and just."

In the official communique, it said the regional courts are "re-affirming their commitment to the principles and objectives contained in their founding documents, the charter of the UN, and the American Convention on Human Rights, and other relevant international human rights instruments, as accepted by the States ascribing to their jurisdiction.

It said the rule of law is essential to the growth and flourishing of human society.

"Regional courts and tribunals are essential to guarantee the rule of law, justice, and democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, within their respective competencies, and require appropriate institutional frameworks to fulfil these high juridical functions and to guarantee their judicial independence.

The second meeting will be hosted by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica next year,