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5th International Conference of Chief Justices of the WorldDraft of Address ofHis Excellency Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. JammehPresident of the Republic of the Gambia(His Excellency the President of the Republic of the Gambia could not, for unavoidable reasons, attend the conference.He, however, sent draft of his speech through Hon’ble Mr Edward Singhate, Secretary of State for Trade,Industry and Employment, Gambia which is being published.)Mr Edward Singhate representing H.E.Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh,President of the Republic of Gambiareceiving the Conference MementoThis International Conference of Chief Justices of the World, which, as you all know,has been organized on behalf of the world’s two billion children and generations yetunborn, has as its theme the obligation under Article 51 (c) of the Constitution of Indiaimposed on the State to “endeavour to........foster respect for international law”. Thetheme of this conference is very important and topical particularly at this time in thehistory of mankind when the world is fast becoming one global village and the actions ofone nation can and do have far-reaching repercussions throughout the globe. That iswhy we must state firmly and unequivocally at this conference “Enforceable InternationalLaw is THE IDEA whose time has come.”It is important to note that “Enforceable International Law” is still an IDEA, not a reality;and that only concrete actions on the part of States and individuals alike will make it a reality. It is also important to realizethat while there is what is called “International Law”, that law is to a large extent unenforceable because there is not a worldorgan to enforce it. UN Security Council’s Resolutions are consistently manipulated and flouted and the UN itself throughthe lack of cooperation of some member states has been rendered impotent in the face of massive military interventions.Our ecology is being rapidly destroyed while some industrial nations, the main contributors to eco-disaster, continue torefuse to join the global fight against environmental degradation. The proliferation of nuclear weapons and internationalterrorism continue unabated. Indeed, the time has come for enforceable International Law to move from the realm of ideasto that of actions. We need to ACT NOW for the benefit of the world’s two billion children and generations yet unborn.That is why, you have been invited to participate in this 5th International Conference of Chief Justices of the world. Asmembers of the third arm of government, the organizers have appealed to you for your help in safeguarding the future ofour children. This recourse to you as members of the judiciaries of the world is by no means an accident. It is born out ofa sense of frustration at the unwillingness or inability of world governments and the UN to act to make international lawenforceable. It comes from the realization that the judiciary can exert pressure on the executive to redress wrongs and takeconcrete action towards the attainment of a world fit for our children to grow and prosper in. The pivotal role of thejudiciary in ensuring world peace and unity has in recent times been highlighted with the establishment of the InternationalCriminal Court, and the ad-doc Criminal Tribunals for former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Their establishmentis a clear testimony to the felt need for enforceable international laws, and they deserve our full support.But the judiciaries of the world alone cannot ensure the realization of enforceable international laws; they need the activeand dedicated cooperation of the executives and legislatures of the world so that collaborating together they can ensurethe promulgation and implementation of international laws. We are indeed aware of the vigorous efforts of the indefatigableFounder Manager and convener of this Conference, Mr. Jagdish Gandhi, for the constitution of a World Parliament thatwould enact enforceable international laws and a World Government to implement them in addition to a World Judiciary toenforce them. I would like to assure him, the CMS and the children they represent of my Government’s full support for therealization of this IDEA whose time has indeed come.We in The Gambia have been contributing to the realization of this idea, the idea of creating a new international Worldorder where every nation, great and small, will have a voice and where peace and unity will reign supreme. It may be--90--