The first in a series of debates between global leaders in law began on Saturday at the Qatar Law Forum 2012 aimed at discussing the challenge of achieving a global understanding and commitment to the rule of law.

A dozen serving chief justices, ministers of justice, and hundreds of judges, academics, legal practitioners, central bankers and regulators from more than 60 countries are participating at the forum.

The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani will officially open the forum and deliver the keynote speech on Sunday followed by the Minister of Economy and Finance of Qatar, Yousef Hussain Kamal who will also give a speech.

'The forum is a very special event due to the experience of our speakers and attendees who are at the very peak of their professions,' remarked The Lord Woolf, co-convener and president of Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre.

'Its unique aspect is that in many cases, this will be the first time a chief justice, judge or attorney general will meet such an array of their equivalents from other countries in the same venue,' he noted.

'Our goal is to help achieve a deeper global understanding and commitment to the rule of law which can only come through dialogue, mutual respect and face-to-face interaction and this is what the forum facilitates,' he remarked.

The forum will have 40 junior lawyers from 20 nations debating: “The Rule of Law and the Future” both in terms of their own countries and from a global perspective.

2012 is a critical time of constitutional change for countries of the “Arab Awakening” and this will be addressed in a panel session on Saturday chaired by Lord Phillips, president of the supreme court of the UK, with distinguished speakers from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain providing valuable insights into recent events in their respective countries.

Later there will be a chief justices panel on: “Achieving Global Understanding of the Rule of Law.” The panel will be chaired by The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Judge with the Chief Justices of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Libya, the Maldives, Qatar and Rwanda represented.

William Blair, co-convener said the forum will examine the rule of law from more than just the context of how legal systems operate across the world.

'Our speakers will discuss the application of the rule of law to the most pressing and topical matters of the day including continued global financial instability, avoiding international conflict and freedom of communications, often from an Islamic point of view,' he added.

The forum will also explore various themes throughout the day including the rule of law and economic, political and social development, resolving disputes over Islamic finance and the role of ethics and law in finance.-TradeArabia News Service