The Commonwealth countries, including Mauritius, have approved a new series of measures at the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in Zanzibar aimed at improving access to justice for individuals.
These measures were the result of four days of discussions among the relevant ministers at their biennial meeting in Tanzania, with input from various stakeholders including people with disabilities, representatives of civil society, and legal innovators.
The Justice Ministers have decided to intensify their efforts to eliminate barriers to access to justice and meet the legal needs of all their citizens.
Key provisions include improving access to justice for people with disabilities, a model law on virtual assets, a new action plan to protect women from online violence, and a proposal to eliminate discriminatory legislation based on gender.
The Ministers also welcomed a range of new legal resources from the Commonwealth, including a mediation guide, a Small Claims Court app for dispute resolution, and a database for criminal cooperation.
They also adopted Commonwealth guidelines on handling electronic evidence in criminal proceedings, designed to provide member countries with a framework for developing national legislation.
To support the implementation of these measures, the Ministers have requested the Commonwealth Law Ministers Action Group to report on progress at the next meeting.
The final statement released by the Ministers, representing a third of humanity, was summarized following their meeting on February 8th.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC, stated that these measures were “absolutely essential,” as two-thirds of the global population lack significant access to justice.
She continued: “Our discussions were targeted, our decisions were meaningful, and our new consensus allows us to take new giant steps towards equal access to justice in modernized legal systems in our wonderful Commonwealth.”
“We leave Zanzibar with a powerful mandate that will enable us to take decisive next steps to ensure that justice for all is the experience for each of the 2.5 billion people living in our Commonwealth,” she added.
In their statement, the Ministers acknowledged that the Justice Secretariat’s technological solutions and its work on artificial intelligence are important interventions to improve access to legal information and transform justice delivery in today’s complex world.
The Secretariat also presented several documents in the energy and extractive industries sector, including a carbon tax model law and a guide on oil and gas decommissioning, which rely on legislation to combat climate change and ensure a just transition.
Hosted by the United Republic of Tanzania from March 4th-8th, the meeting was chaired by Ambassador Pindi H. Chana, Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs of the country, who praised the substantial results achieved.
The next meeting will be hosted by the government of Fiji in February 2026.
Source: Le Mauricien
