Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,
It is such a great pleasure to be with all of you once again, at this event convened by the WJA. An event that focuses on many different issues and ideas that are truly relevant to our lives and lie at the heart of what we all here firmly believe. In my remarks, I will refer back to some of those ideas, which have been the common thread of what we have heard throughout the entire morning.
However, I would like to begin by conveying my most heartfelt congratulations to Navi Pillay, Brenda Hale, Asifa Kakar, Imrana Jalal, and Ambiga Sreenevassen, recipients of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Medal of Honour. The 5 women we honour today work in both different specialized fields and countries, but each one of them has made a decisive contribution, within their professional scope and responsibilities, to promoting the rule of law and gender equality around the world. Their work honours the historic legacy of Justice Ginsburg, who was a shining example of the promotion and defence of those commitments, not just in her career, but in her life, always remaining faithful to her motto: “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
I am also very happy to congratulate the recipients of the World Jurist Association’s Medal of Honour: Manuel Aragón, Pedro Pérez-Llorca, and Luis de Carlos Beltrán. The Medal recognizes the contributions of these three exceptional men as leading jurists who have devoted their lives to serving the law with rigour, dedication, and professionalism. They have taught and practiced law upholding it as a fundamental aspect of their –and all of our− lives.
Allow me, here, to refer specifically to Manuel Aragón. My dear professor, you are now adding a new and well-deserved recognition to your long and extensive career, in which you remain very active to this very day. A few weeks ago, I celebrated together with my class of 93 from the UAM, the 30th anniversary of our Law Degree. I cannot but recognize the role that Professor Aragón had, not only for me, but also for a whole generation of students, in our deep learning and understanding of Constitutional Law. His teachings did not end when we graduated; to this day, we continue to learn from him. The WJA honours today a brilliant and prolific jurist, a man who is committed to his country and to the profound essence of Justice with a deep sense of duty. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with others.
Dear Ambassador Young, it has been an honour to bestow on you the highest distinction of the Association: the World Peace and Liberty Award.
“One step at a time” −as Justice Ginsburg said− he has contributed to change for the better the course of history in the USA, and now he is undoubtedly a part of it. He did so through his own experience, through the efforts of a lifetime. His contribution, together with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in the fight against racial segregation in the USA is widely known. He himself suffered from it and was an active member in the fight for civil rights in his country, contributing to draft the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. As the US Ambassador to the UN, he also promoted the defence of human rights and the progress of developing countries.
Service to others has defined his career, during which he has held several positions —Mayor of Atlanta and Senator of the State of Georgia—; always with a spirit of humility, pacifism, and serenity; always acting based on his convictions, on doing what was right, on helping others. President Carter honoured him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in his country. This new recognition today is an excellent opportunity to study and learn from his work and his legacy outside the United States. Congratulations, Ambassador Young.
To all those we recognize today their many merits; it is an honour to have you here: nine magnificent careers, nine formidable examples of personal commitment to the law, and to defending human and civil rights. Congratulations…and forever, we thank you for your work and your example.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We find ourselves today at the new Rule of Law Digital Centre Madrid that now ‘opens shop’ in our Nation’s capital. We are proud to have you among us and be your hosts, and what a great day to inaugurate it (In a few moments I will be have the privilege to visit the Centre more in detail…). But I think we can safely agree, that it truly represents yet another step of the international legal community to move ahead, to adapt and adequate its capabilities through digital media, in order to stay on course for the cause of justice, and sail through these rapidly changing times.
"...today, on such a special occasion —one of homage and celebration— the WLC has been presented. New York takes the baton from Barranquilla (Colombia) next July to host the 28th edition, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Association, for which I offer my sincere congratulations, we all do so and wish them luck and success... for 60 years, the Association has carried out exceptional work, mobilizing the international legal community in a global campaign to promote a governance of laws, no of law, not the rule of arbitrary decisions, authoritarianism, and brute force; the rule of law, not tyranny..."
Madrid thus becomes one of the great world capitals for the law, and a point of encounter open to conversation and dialogue.
Created by the WLFand the WJA, with the support of the law firm Cremades y Calvo-Sotelo, its objective is to promote, and to educate about, the fundamental principles of the rule of law, especially in today’s digital world. This new space will be the setting for an ongoing campaign to defend peace and freedom, with the law as the most fundamental tool for success.
We welcome, we value, and we acknowledge initiatives like this one, because it is also through them that, “step by step”, we can achieve great things.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, on such a special occasion —one of homage and celebration— the WLC has been presented. New York takes the baton from Barranquilla (Colombia) next July to host the 28th edition, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Association, for which I offer my sincere congratulations, we all do so and wish them luck and success.
For 60 years, the Association has carried out exceptional work, mobilizing the international legal community in a global campaign to promote a governance of laws, not of men; the rule of law, not the rule of arbitrary decisions, authoritarianism, and brute force; the rule of law, not tyranny.
Now is a good moment to remember that the creation of the WJA took place at the height of the Cold War, to promote an idea that remains extraordinarily relevant: only under a government of laws, under the protection of the law, can we guarantee that citizens and their nations will be able to live in peace and freedom. Three great leaders—Charles Rhyne, president of the American Bar Association; Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the US; and Sir Winston Churchill—launched this great global campaign.
Since 2019, for the first time, a Spaniard presides over this American organization, Javier Cremades. It certainly is a great source of pride.
This year, the WLC returns to the country where the Association was born, and to the UN’s Headquarters, under the title “Peace through Law”. The Association plays a priceless international role in promoting this ideal, fostering a worldwide conversation about law involving the Chief Justices of Supreme Courts and Constitutional Courts, Attorneys General, lawyers, law professors, and activists in the rule of law. Mutual learning and the exchange of ideas and legal concepts is crucial in order to build a global legal consensus based on −and thereby recognizing− the inherent dignity of all people.
Now that more than a year has passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the motto of this Congress becomes a call to embrace the law in an increasingly tumultuous world. The repercussions −and worldwide impact− of this conflict are obviously affecting International peace and security. Democracy itself is also seriously affected. Many parts of the world are suffering an erosion in the functioning and adherence to democracy, which also naturally erodes the rule of law.
Therefore, it is urgent that we defend it, as the Venezuelan poet Rafael Cadenas recently said, as he received the 2022 Cervantes Prize, and I quote: “es un trabajo de todos, hacedero sólo con plena libertad”. It is everyone’s work, which can only be done with total freedom. A far-reaching message that actually invites us to action, in order to be effective. “Everyone's work” includes all of us who firmly believe in human rights, the separation of powers, an independent judiciary, respect for the territorial integrity of States, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts through the law.
What is at stake here is the preservation of the best model that civilization has ever created to guarantee peaceful coexistence: A constitutional and democratic State under the rule of law.
Our commitment to these principles, to freedom and democracy, which have been the common thread throughout this morning, is what defines us –and also what unites us. There can be no higher commitment.
Thank you very much.