Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 commences today (with photos)
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The 6th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit - Judicial Conference, organised by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy, was held as the opening event of this year's Hong Kong Legal Week. Around 50 judges from over 25 jurisdictions attended the Judicial Conference in person, with judges from other jurisdictions participating online. The biennial Summit themed "The Future is Now: Legally Enabling Digitalization of International Trade" comprises a Judicial Conference and a Judicial Roundtable tomorrow (December 2). The Judicial Conference focused on "Building Towards End-to-End Trade Digitalization" and explored topics such as digitalisation of trade, digital transformation in transport, and emerging trends in dispute resolution within the digital economy. The Judicial Roundtable, under the theme "Recent Trends in Dispute Resolution", will explore judicial approaches for handling disputes involving AI, as well as the dynamic interaction between alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and formal court proceedings.
In his welcome remarks, the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, said that the theme of this year’s Hong Kong Legal Week aims at highlighting Hong Kong’s role in connecting different economies and legal systems through collaboration, understanding and global legal exchange. Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has strong legal foundation and international connectivity. It is dedicated to serve as a "super connector" and a capacity building hub to facilitate the legal and economic collaboration across the region and beyond. The Judicial Conference today provided a platform to share experience and exchange views on facilitating the development of digitalisation.
The Secretary of UNCITRAL, Ms Anna Joubin-Bret, and the Deputy Director General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Tian Ya, gave their welcome remarks at the Summit.
The Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Andrew Cheung, gave a keynote speech on the evolving judicial landscape amid digitalisation of trade. The Secretary-General of International Organization for Mediation, Professor Teresa Cheng, also delivered special remarks at the Summit.
The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, in his closing remarks said that the insightful perspectives offered by the participants in the conference today have demonstrated the collective dedication to facilitating and harmonising the seamless digitalisation of trade transactions, and set the stage for continuous engagement among members including the judiciary, government officials, legal specialists and practitioners. It will foster continued professional interaction and constructive dialogues in the times ahead.
This year's Summit coincides with the first anniversary of the launch of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy. The Department of Justice (DoJ) has specially released the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy Anniversary Booklet 2024-2025, reviewing the achievements and milestones of the Academy in promoting international legal exchange and capacity building over the past year. Building upon its inaugural year's accomplishments, the Academy will continue to make good use of Hong Kong's bilingual common law system and international status, to serve as a capacity-building, as well as knowledge and experience-sharing platform for legal professionals in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and other jurisdictions, in particular those along the “Belt and Road”.
Other events during the Hong Kong Legal Week include the Third Legal Forum on Interconnectivity and Development, co-organised by the DoJ and the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region tomorrow, featuring in-depth discussions on "Practising Multilateralism and Upholding the International Rule of Law" and "The Promotion and Development of International Law through Emerging Technologies". On Wednesday (December 3), a Symposium of the HCCH Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) on Private International Law, alongside the annual forum "Capital of Mediation" and "Hong Kong Mediation Lecture 2025" will be held. On Thursday (December 4), the Basic Law 35th Anniversary Legal Summit will be held on the Constitution Day. The closing event, the First Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers Forum, will be held on Friday (December 5) morning under the theme "GBA Connectivity: Setting Sail for Global Horizons". On the same day afternoon, a lawtech conference titled "The AI Era: Shaping the Legal Landscape in the 21st Century" will be held, with a view to deepening the legal profession's understanding of the opportunities and challenges brought by legal technology and AI through various activities.
For more details of Hong Kong Legal Week 2025, please visit the dedicated website at www.legalweek.hk. Live broadcast will be available on the dedicated website and at webcast.info.gov.hk.
Ends/Monday, December 1, 2025
Issued at HKT 20:28
Issued at HKT 20:28
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