THE Commonwealth ministers meeting reinforced the critical role of the rule of law for democracy and recognised Fiji’s achievement in justice innovation.
Discussions acknowledged universal challenges to the rule of law and identified shared solutions to strengthen member countries’ legal frameworks.
Fiji’s Minister for Justice and Acting Attorney General, Siromi Turaga, emphasised the importance of reinforcing justice roles to protect the core of democracy.
“Fiji received the Commonwealth Access to Justice Innovation Award for its Yellow Ribbon initiative supporting inmate education,’’ Turaga said.
“The most powerful statement regarding justice defenders is how we can push forward for inmates (to) continue with education, graduate, and fight for those who are in prison.”
Testimonies from justice defenders during the CLM meeting highlighted the importance of including prisoner voices in reform efforts.
The Nadi Declaration statement reflected broad agreement on tackling complex issues such as sea-level crises and misinformation.
Ministers agreed to preserve maritime boundaries for vulnerable island nations despite climate threats.
Combatting misinformation was prioritised to maintain truth and prevent confusion caused by digital impersonations.
Asset recovery to increase the costs of corruption was recognised as vital to discouraging unethical practices in member states.