HER Royal Highness Princess Hajah Muta-Wakkilah Hayatul Bolkiah attended the Meeting of Senior Officials of Commonwealth Law Ministries and the 13th Meeting of Law Ministers and Attorneys General of Small Commonwealth Jurisdictions which were held from September 9 to 13 at the Commonwealth Secretariat in Marlborough House, London, England.

The Brunei Darussalam delegation was led by the Attorney General, Datin Seri Paduka Hajah Hayati binti Pehin Orang Kaya Shahbandar Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohd Salleh and comprised senior officers of the Attorney General’s Chambers, according to a press release.

The Meeting of Law Ministers and Attorneys General of Small Commonwealth Jurisdictions was opened by the Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma. The meeting discussed a range of legal issues such as Continuing Judicial and Legal Education for Law Practitioners’, ‘Internet and Social Networks: Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age’ and ‘Draft Model Act on Integrity in Public Life’.

The Meeting of Law Ministers and Attorneys General adopted a Joint Communiqué at the conclusion of the meeting, which generally took note of the papers tabled and appreciated the ongoing work undertaken by the Commonwealth Secretariat in providing technical assistance and capacity building to small jurisdiction countries of the Commonwealth. The Law Ministers and Attorneys General of Small Commonwealth Jurisdictions Meeting is held every three years and 31 Commonwealth countries and territories attended this year’s meeting.

The Meeting of Senior Officials of Commonwealth Law Ministries which preceded the Meeting of Law Ministers of Small Commonwealth Jurisdictions also discussed a range of legal issues such as ‘International Judicial Development and Assistance in the Commonwealth’, Modalities for Civil Society Engagement with Commonwealth Law Ministers’ and ‘Cybercrime’.

The Meeting of Senior Officials also adopted a Joint Communiqué which contained various recommendations to be discussed at the next Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting, scheduled to be held in May 2014 in Gaborone, Botswana.

The Meeting of Senior Officials of Commonwealth Law Ministries is held every 18 months. It is a forum for senior law officials from the Commonwealth to discuss legal issues of common interest and to prepare the work programme of the Law Ministers Meeting which is held every three years. - Borneo Bulletin (15 September 2013)