The rule of law is at grave risk of falling victim to a ‘new world order’ of populism, the president of the global bar told thousands of lawyers gathered for their annual conference this morning.

Czech lawyer Martin Solc urged delegates to act as ‘true guardians’ of the rule by fronting a new campaign of the International Bar Association titled: 'Look after the rule of law and it will look after you.’ 

The campaign consists of eight short and freely distributable videos showcasing what the IBA believes to be at risk - including the rights to a fair trial and not to be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of personal characteristics.

Martin Solc opens the IBA 2018 conference, Rome.

Martin Solc opens the IBA conference

 

Introducing this year’s conference, Solc warned: ‘The world in which live is going in a complicated direction. Values underpinning liberal democratic society are being questioned, even in countries where I thought they were safe. A growing number of countries have populist leaders promising to deliver to disaffected electorates what they want to hear. The rule of law often falls victim to principles of a new order, a new world. It is not part of the equation.’

He added: ‘So what can we do? We cannot turn clock back – but we should realise that one element of what is needed in society is the rule of law. That is where we need to become true guardians and get the message across to ordinary people. They need to understand what is so important because where there is no rule of law we will see increasingly the rule of individuals – which has often ended up in dictatorship. When we look into the history of this fabulous country [Italy], the 1920s marked the beginning of the darkest era in history in of Europe.’

Solc said lawyers could help precipitate an ‘avalanche’ of public understanding in which 'you all start a movement to raise awareness of how important this issue is.’