Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the world today faced global crimes like cyber terrorism, money laundering and misuse of artificial intelligence and these will require a global approach to face them.

He was inaugurating the ‘International Lawyers’ Conference 2023’ at Vigyan Bhawan. The conference serves as a platform for meaningful dialogue and discussion on various legal topics of national and international importance.

Mr Modi said the world is deeply connected during the current century. “There are many forces against which we are fighting that do not care about borders or jurisdictions. And when threats are global, the approach to dealing with them should also be global,” he said.

The Prime Minister said there are many issues where cooperation requires a global framework. It’s not merely a matter for any one government or administration. To address these challenges, the legal frameworks of different countries need to come together, “just as we collaborate for air traffic control.”

“Everyone adheres to common rules and regulations, protocols. In the same way, we need to establish a global framework in various domains. The International Lawyers’ Conference should undoubtedly delve into this direction, and give a new direction to the world,” he said.

The Prime Minister underlined that the International Lawyers Conference is taking place at a time when India has been a witness to several historic decisions and recalled the passage of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament, giving women 33 per cent reservation in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha.

The “Nari Shakti Vandan Act will give new direction and energy to women-led development in India,” he said.

Speaking on Alternate Dispute Resolution, the Prime Minister said that with increasing complexity of commercial transactions, ADR has gained currency all over the world. He said that to systematize the informal tradition of dispute resolution in India, the Government of India has enacted a mediation Act.

Similarly, Lok Adalats are also playing a big role and Lok Adalats have resolved about seven lakh cases in the last six years, he said.

Referring to the issue of simplicity of language and law, the Prime Minister gave insights about the Government’s approach and the ongoing discussion regarding presenting any law in two languages – one to which the legal system is accustomed and another for common citizens.

“Citizens should feel that the law belongs to them,” Mr Modi said, as he underlined that the Government is making an effort to draft new laws in simple language and gave the example of the Data Protection Law.

The Prime Minister congratulated the Supreme Court of India for making arrangements to get its judgments translated into four local languages Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Oriya and hailed this monumental change in the judicial system of India.

The Prime Minister expressed delight in getting an opportunity to interact with the greats of the global legal fraternity. 

Highlighting the presence of the Lord Chancellor of England, Mr Alex Chalk and delegates of the Bar Association of England, representatives from Commonwealth and African countries, the Prime Minister said the International Lawyers’ Conference 2023 has become a symbol of the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.’