The opening ceremony was attended by President Luis Abinader, who praised the process of transformation of the Dominican justice system and expressed his support for the independence of the branches of government.
EAST SANTO DOMINGO. - The presiding judge of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) and of the Judicial Power Council (CPJ), Henry Molina led the opening ceremony of the Judicial Power 2024 Conference, in which he stressed the need to analyze the present judicial system with a view to designing the justice system of the future.
During the ceremony, Magistrate Henry Molina was accompanied by the Dominican President, Luis Abinader Corona, and the presidents of the legislative chambers, Alfredo Pacheco and Ricardo de los Santos; the president of the Constitutional Court, Napoleon Estevez Lavandier, as well as judges, members of the legal community, academia and representatives of society in general.
The presiding judge emphasized the importance of the work being promoted by this branch of government to place the individual at the center of judicial action and to adapt the functioning of the system to a new culture of efficiency, openness, transparency and integrity.
"Each of these conferences is an invitation to the legal community as a whole, to judges, academia, students and society as a whole, to learn first-hand about new trends in justice, thanks to presentations by leading experts from around the world," said Henry Molina.
He also informed that the Dominican justice system has achieved leadership in Central America, the Caribbean and Ibero-America, and in 2025 the country will host the Ibero-American Judicial Summit and other relevant regional and international events.
"It will undoubtedly be a unique occasion for our country to display its hospitality and take advantage of the opportunity to present itself as a regional benchmark in terms of democratic institutions and economic and social development. This is what we are working for," he said.
Molina called for speeding up the pace of work in order to promote a model of justice that prioritizes the promptness and quality of jurisdictional decisions. He also stressed the need to extend access to justice to the entire territory and to strengthen integrity and transparency systems.
Molina also explained that the PJ Conference represents an opportunity to learn about new trends in justice and to design initiatives and projects that will guide Dominican justice in the next 10 years.
The presiding judge thanked the cooperation of all the sectors involved in the realization of the conference and expressed his confidence that together they will succeed in building a justice system that responds to the needs and aspirations of Dominican society.
President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona said that the Justice System is immersed in the natural transformations of this century and of a society that increasingly demands its ethical and efficient operation.
"As you all know, I have been, and will always be a standard bearer of strengthening the institutional framework within the framework of the system of separation of powers, this figure that our Constitution has incorporated since the birth of the Republic, is of unavoidable importance and has been proven over the years, as the only way to prevent the accumulation of political power in a few hands and with it the corruption of its exercise," said the President.
Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the World Justice Project United States of America, also participated in the opening ceremony and praised the efforts of the Judicial Branch to bring justice closer to the people.
"It is of great relevance that the Dominican Judicial Branch has a people-centered justice, and thus be able to have indicators that allow us to measure the justice gap in the region; working in this direction can continue to achieve great changes," said Andersen.
About the Conference
The Judicial Power Conference will be held at the new Santo Domingo East Santo Domingo Palace of Justice from April 25 to 27, and will be a space for dialogue that will show the progress of the Dominican justice system, discuss best practices in the administration of justice and identify the new challenges that this branch of government will face over the next 10 years.
The Conference is an open space between the Judiciary, the different actors of the justice administration system and society, in which they will discuss and reflect on the importance of an up-to-date justice system that guarantees the dignity of people, as well as on judicial integrity as a support for the legitimacy of the Rule of Law.
During the three days of the Judicial Power Conference, 137 national and international exhibitors will participate, 31 panels will be held, as well as 23 conferences, among other activities that will take place simultaneously.
