Conectas sends contributions to the G20 Meeting of Supreme Courts

The organization joined the STF in drafting a foundational document for the global meeting that is to take place next week in Brazil

Sessão plenária do STF. Foto: Gustavo Moreno/SCO/STF.

At the request of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Conectas sent contributions on the relationship between human rights and the judiciary for the material to be used by participants of the J20, a meeting of representatives from the Supreme Courts of the countries in the G20.  The meeting which is being organised by the Supreme Court of Brazil will take place from May 12 to 14 in Rio de Janeiro, as part of the country’s G20 presidency.

Conectas’ contributions are included in a publication distributed to those participating in the event. The Igarapé Institute and UNESCO are the other partner institutions for this material. In the first part of the document, Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, president of the STF, highlights that Conectas was invited to speak on social inclusion due to its work in promoting and expanding human rights and combating inequalities.

The J20 will discuss the role of Supreme Courts in various issues, such as climate, disinformation, and social inclusion. “This invitation is a great honour. It is recognition of our tireless work in defending human rights, which includes strategic litigation among other important tools. We hope that our reflections will be useful and will stimulate debate at the meeting,” said Gabriel Sampaio, director of litigation and advocacy at Conectas.

Conectas’ Contributions 

In its contributions, Conectas demonstrated how the judiciary can meet the growing social demands for more accessible and inclusive justice; how the judiciary can promote social inclusion, uphold the principle of equality and strengthen the rule of law and the ways to address systemic barriers to accessing justice for vulnerable individuals and groups, among other topics.

Racial inclusion

The organization also emphasized the need to implement policies for racial inclusion. “We highlight various ways to address this issue: interpreting laws, taking into account social and historical inequalities; acknowledging the presence of structural and institutional racism in establishing legal precedents; promoting education about structural racism and its impacts on the law and society; adopting and implementing norms outlined in international treaties and resolutions related to racial inequality, to name just a few,” it says in the text. 

Civil society’s participation

In another section of the material, Conectas stressed that “collaboration between the Judiciary and civil society is essential in order to identify and effectively address issues of citizenship and social inclusion. To achieve this, the Judiciary should actively encourage and facilitate citizens’ participation in the legal process. This could be achieved through initiatives such as carrying out public consultations and open hearings, which would allow citizens the opportunity to directly engage in the legal process”.

International human rights mechanisms

Finally, the organization also highlighted the importance of recognising the relevance of international human rights mechanisms in safeguarding and promoting fundamental rights globally, protecting individuals from abuse by the state and preserving human dignity. “It is essential for legal professionals in the Judiciary to embrace this system at all levels, thus providing an additional source of standards and jurisprudence to support their decisions, enhancing their ability to protect citizens’ rights and ensuring that national laws are aligned with the universal principles of human rights,” it says in the material.