Prominent legal figures gather at Hong Kong Legal Week 2021 (with photos)

     The 4th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit, jointly organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today (November 1) with participants from other jurisdictions joining virtually. The Summit also marked the opening of Hong Kong Legal Week, which is one of the DoJ's flagship events and has been held in the first week of November every year since 2019, featuring a series of international and important events.

     In delivering her opening remarks, the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, pointed out that the Summit consisted of two parts – the Judicial Conference and the Judicial Roundtable – in order to balance and cater for the needs of judges and judicial officers to gain knowledge and discuss their experience, adding that the scope of which had been expanded to cover more topics beyond arbitration such as insolvency and public-private partnership. She also noted that more than 80 judges participated in today's Summit either in person or online, notwithstanding the challenges posed by the pandemic.

     Others addressing the opening included the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, who highlighted that the Judiciary expedited the use of technology in light of the pandemic and various measures have been in place to speed up the application of information technology to handle court business, such that due administration of justice could continue to be delivered effectively and efficiently, without compromising the requirements of open justice and due process.

     The Secretary of UNCITRAL, Ms Anna Joubin-Bret, and the General Counsel of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Mr Alberto Ninio, gave their remarks in the morning session as well.

     This is the fourth time the DoJ and UNCITRAL have jointly held the biennial flagship event, signifying Hong Kong's status as an international legal hub for legal, dealmaking and dispute resolution services. This is also the first time simultaneous interpretation in Armenian was provided (in addition to English and Chinese), with the support of the Asian Development Bank, which showcases the importance of this capacity building event for Armenian-speaking judges and participants.

     Apart from the Summit, other events of Legal Week include:

November 2: International Criminal Law Conference, Maritime Dispute Resolution in Hong Kong.

November 3: Workshop on Online Dispute Resolution organised with the support of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretariat, Arbitration Conference, Hong Kong Mediation Lecture.

November 4: The Law Society of Hong Kong's 4th Belt and Road Conference with the theme of "Global Recovery and Harmony through the Belt and Road Initiative".

November 5: The inaugural Rule of Law Signature Engagement Event with the support of LAWASIA, as part of Vision 2030 for Rule of Law, with the theme "A Journey of Transformation for a Sustainable Future".

     Those who are interested in the programmes of Legal Week should visit the dedicated website for registration and more details.