His Lordship K. Sri Pavan, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, with some of the participants. Photo credit: Official Parliament of Sri Lanka photo by U.G. Nuwan Duminda
※The quality of justice will
[＃] depend on the quality of performance of our judges. A competent judiciary is an essential ingredient to develop a modern judicial system, that is credible, transparent, speedy, and of high quality.§ These were the words of His Lordship K. Sri Pavan, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, in his keynote address to participants in a national workshop for judges held at the Sri Lanka Judges＊ Institute in Colombo early October.
Participants of the regional workshop.
Photo credit: Official Parliament of Sri Lanka photo by U.G. Nuwan Duminda
The Sri Lankan national workshop was organized on the margins of a Regional workshop on effectively countering terrorism in South Asia, arranged in the country＊s capital on 3-5 October 2016. The regional initiative was the 11th workshop of its kind, and a concrete way to promote cooperation between those that have to enforce the rules and go after the perpetrators of terrorist acts. This year＊s workshop specifically focused on the challenges related to foreign terrorist fighters, individuals who travel to a State other than their States of residence or nationality for the purpose of the perpetration, planning, or preparation of, or participation in, terrorist acts or the providing or receiving of terrorist training, including in connection with armed conflict.
The challenges of deterring and bringing terrorists to justice are large in scope and the complexities often discouraging. In South Asia as in all other parts of the world, terrorism is linked to a host of other challenges including the flow of illicit goods and persons 每 of explosives, illegal funds, and suspected criminals 每 across borders. Developing the capacity of States, their law enforcement officials and members of the judiciary on both sides of the border to be adequately equipped to deal with these issues requires a cooperative, sustained approach.
Over the last seven years, the regional workshops 每 jointly organized by the 51勛圖 Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Global Center on Cooperative Security 每 have involved over 300 senior judges, prosecutors, and police officials representing all of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. Donor countries include Australia, Canada, Denmark, India, Sweden, and the United States of America. Also representatives of numerous regional and international organizations have been involved in various ways over the years.