Judicial Matters: 11th Meeting of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices

A Myanmar delegation, led by Union Chief Justice U ThaHtay, attended the 11th Meeting of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices in Cebu City, the Philippines, from November 19 to 20, at the invitation of the Chief Justice of the Philippines Alexander G. Gesmundo.

The Council of ASEAN Chief Justices Meeting (the CACJ Meeting) has been held yearly since 2013 and was attended by the Chief Justices and the Heads of Judiciaries from ASEAN member states. On the first day of the meeting, the 2nd ASEAN + Meeting was held in hybrid format.

The Chief Justices and the heads of the delegation from ASEAN countries attended the meeting in person, and the Chief Justices from the Supreme Courts of China, Japan and Korea joined the meeting online. At the meeting, the use of court technology to enhance access to justice was discussed, and the CACJ working groups shared experiences of regional judicial cooperation through the CACJ.

On the second day of the meeting, the 11th CACJ meeting was held. Union Chief Justice U ThaHtay delivered an opening speech together with other Chief Justices and heads of delegation. Then, CACJ Working Groups on ASEAN Judiciaries Portal, Facilitation Service of Civil Processes within ASEAN, Case Management and Court Technology, Judicial Training and Education, Cross-border Disputes Involving Children, Conduct of Video Conferencing Hearings, ASEAN+ Meetings and the Study Group presented their reports regarding the activities carried out, the achievements gained and the working plan to be continued.

During the meeting, the Union Chief Justice discussed matters relating to the Myanmar judiciary. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Chief Justices and the Heads of Delegation signed the Cebu Declaration, the result of the 11th CACJ Meeting.