BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Judiciaries have and will continue to play a pivotal role in the development and implementation of legislative and institutional regimes for sustainable development.
Chief Justice of Solomon Islands, Sir Albert R. Palmer voiced this during at the opening of a three-day Judicial Symposium 2025 at the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) conference centre which commenced in Honiara yesterday.
In attendance at the symposium are chief justices, high court judges and international fisheries legal experts to strengthen the understanding of how legal developments impact the management of fisheries nationally, regionally and globally.
“A judiciary well-informed on the contemporary developments in the field of international and national imperatives of environmentally friendly development will be a major force in strengthening national efforts to realise the goals of environmentally friendly development and in vindicating the rights of individuals substantively and in assessing the judicial process and development,” said Sir Palmer.
He said the fisheries sector is not only foundational, but also fundamentally shared.
“Since the mid-1980s, our political leaders have demonstrated remarkable vision by embracing regional cooperation through the establishment of the Forum Fisheries Agency. This has evolved into one of the most admired regional fisheries organisations,” he said.
Sir Palmer said FFA’s success has fostered a harmonised regional approach to fisheries law and policy.
“With this harmonisation comes a pressing need for consistency in judicial interpretation and application across jurisdictions. As our legal and environmental challenges evolve, so too must our jurisprudence and professional development,” he said.
“Many of the rules and principles on this page were not part of the curriculum when many of us entered the legal profession. Therefore, continuous learning and judicial education are essential to remain current with the shifting landscape of international fisheries law.”
He said this is the third symposium co-hosted by the Solomon Islands Judiciary and the FFA, the first being in 2016 and the second in 2019.
“It is my strong belief that through dialogue, collaboration and shared learning, we can continue to strengthen our judicial systems and bridge our solidarity,” said Sir Palmer.
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