NORTH-SOUTH: JUDICIAL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE GLOBAL SOUTH
REGISTRATION: https://forms.office.com/e/axmiGAE0jd
HIGHLIGHTS OF JUDICIAL DIALOGUE AMONG SUPREME COURTS
ORGANISER AND MODERATOR: DR NAUMAN REAYAT, FOUNDER AND CONVENER OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH NETWORK (GSN)
Dr Nauman Reayat is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor of Law at the Leicester Law School, University of Leicester. Before this, he held academic roles at Cardiff University, the Institute of Law Jersey, the University of Law, and the University of York. His ESRC Postdoctoral research (2021–2022) at Cardiff focused on judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes. Dr Reayat completed his PhD at the University of York in 2021, examining judicial independence in such regimes, with lessons drawn from Pakistan. In 2022, he received a Certificate of Qualification from the National Committee of Accreditation, Federal Law Society of Canada. His recent publications have focused on juristocracy during COVID-19 and judicial independence in hybrid regimes. His forthcoming publication explores compliance with supreme courts decisions in authoritarian and hybrid regimes.
Dr Reayat is the Founder and Convener of the Global South Network (GSN), an international, interdisciplinary platform uniting academics and actors outside academia to empower voices from and focused on the Global South. GSN is the only network of its kind, fostering collaboration between the Global South and North while addressing key social, political, economic, and legal issues. As the Founder/Convener of GSN, he previously organized and moderated 12 guest lectures by Supreme Court judges from various countries, including the Supreme Constitutional Court of Palestine and the Supreme Court of Israel , during the height of the Middle East crisis. He is the only University of Leicester employee nominated in four categories of the University of Leicester Citizens’ Awards: Research Excellence & Impact Award, Our Citizen Award, Inspiring Leader, and Living Our Values. He was shortlisted in three categories (Our Citizen Award, Inspiring Leader, and Living Our Values) and won the Our Citizen Award 2024.
GUEST SPEAKER: PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE RIGHT HON THE LORD REED OF ALLERMUIR
Honourable Robert Reed (Lord Reed of Allermuir) was educated at the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford. He qualified as a member of the Scottish and English Bars and practised at the Scottish Bar between 1983 and 1998. He served as a judge in Scotland from 1998 to 2012, when he was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court. In June 2018 he became the Deputy President of the Court, and in January 2020 its President. In addition to sitting on the Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Lord Reed is a member of the panel of ad hoc judges of the European Court of Human Rights and a former non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. He is also the High Steward of Oxford University, a member of the advisory board of the Oxford Institute of European and Comparative Law, and a former trustee of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
THE GUEST TALK OF LORD REED, THE PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
THE TRANSCRIPT THE GUEST LECTURE OF THE LORD REED OF ALLERMUIR, THE PRESIDENT OF UK SUPREME COURT
ONLINE RESPONSES
HON. JUSTICE DR AZMIRALDA ZAHIR, THE SUPREME COURT OF THE MALDIVES
Dr Azmiralda Zahir is one of the first female judges appointed to the Supreme Court of the Maldives. Prior to that she had served as a judge at the High Court of the Maldives. Dr Zahir pursued her law degree in Cardiff, UK. Her doctorate was in international intellectual property rights from the University of Exeter, UK.
HON. JUSTICE ZHOLDOSHEVA LUNARA CHATKALBEKOVNA, THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
Justice Zholdosheva Lunara Chatkalbekovna was born on January 27, 1978, in the city of Talas. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and International Law from the International University of Kyrgyzstan and a degree in Jurisprudence from the Kyrgyz State Law University. She further advanced her education with a Master’s degree in Judiciary, Prosecutor’s Supervision, and Advocacy from the Kyrgyz State Law Academy.
Justice Zholdosheva’s career has been marked by significant contributions to the legal and judicial sectors in the Kyrgyz Republic. From 2000 to 2007, she served in the Office of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic. She later held positions including Assistant Minister and Head of the Legal Department at the Ministry of Emergency Situations (2007–2011) and Deputy Head of the Department for the Committee on Judicial and Legal Affairs and Legality of the Jogorku Kenesh (2011–2015). From 2015 to 2021, she led the Judicial and Legal Affairs Section within the Department of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation, State Structure, Judicial and Legal Affairs, and Rules of Procedure of the Jogorku Kenesh.
In 2021, she became Deputy Chairman of the Council for the Selection of Judges, and during the same period, she worked as a lawyer at the Public Association “National Mediation Center.” Since 2022, she has been a lecturer at the Higher School of Justice under the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic. On December 7, 2022, Justice Zholdosheva was elected as a judge of the Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Justice Zholdosheva is a member of the Kyrgyz Association of Women Judges and, since 2023, has been responsible for external relations of the Shandong Vocational College of Foreign Trade of the PRC in the Kyrgyz Republic. Her dedication to public service and the judiciary has been recognized with numerous honors, including Certificates of Honor from the Supreme Court and Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Medal “Excellent Civil Service of the Kyrgyz Republic,” and other departmental awards. She has achieved the class rank of Justice of the First Qualification Class and Counselor of the Civil Service of the First Class.
HON. JUSTICE MARTHA KOOME, EGH, CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF KENYA
Chief Justice Martha K. Koome, EGH, assumed office on May 21, 2021, as the 15th Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya and the 3rd President of the Supreme Court. She is the first woman to hold this position since the Judiciary’s establishment over a century ago.
Prior to her appointment, Chief Justice Koome served as a senior Judge of Appeal, where she oversaw the Criminal Division and led committees that introduced innovative case management strategies and standardized registry operations. She was elected President of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) in 2019 and also served as an official of the East Africa Magistrates and Judges Association (EAMJA). She participated in the law review process which gave rise to the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. Recognized by the United Nations in 2020 as a distinguished defender of human and children’s rights, she has championed justice for marginalized groups. Her notable achievements include chairing the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) Committee, which reviewed the Children’s Act, and creating Court User Committees for child justice. She was also the runner-up for the United Nations Person of the Year in 2020 for her pioneering advocacy. In addition to her judicial responsibilities, Martha Koome chairs the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ), coordinating efforts to enhance justice delivery and collaboration among stakeholders in the justice sector. She also heads the National Council for Law Reporting (NCLR), ensuring the dissemination of accurate and timely legal information critical for the development of Kenya’s jurisprudence.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE DATO’ SRI HASNAH BINTI DATO’ MOHAMMED HASHIM CHIEF JUDGE OF MALAYA S.S.A.P, P.M.W, J.M.N ON BEHALF OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF MALAYSIA, TUN TENGKU MAIMUN BINTI TUAN MAT.
The Right Honourable Dato’ Sri Hasnah binti Dato’ Mohammed Hashim was born on 15 May 1959 in Kuantan, Pahang. Justice Hasnah began her career in the Judicial and Legal Service on 1 August 1983 as the Legal Adviser/ Senior Federal Counsel (SFC) at the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. She later served as the Legal Adviser/ SFC to the Ministry of Telecommunications and Post and the Ministry of Works. Her Ladyship made history as the first female officer to hold the position of Assistant Legal Adviser of Selangor. In 1994, Justice Hasnah was appointed as a Sessions Court Judge in Selangor, later serving in Kuala Lumpur. In 2000, Her Ladyship became the Registrar of the Court of Appeal. Subsequently, in 2007, Her Ladyship was posted as the Director of the Legal Qualifying Board (LQB) and in 2009 as the Director General of the Insolvency Department. Her final role in the Judicial and Legal Service was as the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia, a position she held from 2009 to 2010. On 3 May 2010, Her Ladyship was appointed as a Judicial Commissioner and was later elevated to Judge of the High Court of Malaya on 4 April 2012. She served in the Commercial Division at the Kuala Lumpur High Court until her elevation to the Court of Appeal on 21 March 2016. During her tenure as a High Court Judge, Her Ladyship was also appointed as the President of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) in 2013. Her Ladyship was appointed to the Federal Court on 5 December 2019 and on 12 November 2024 Her Ladyship was appointed as the Chief Judge of the High Court of Malaya.
HON. JUSTICE TEWODROS MEHERET KEBEDE, CHIEF JUSTICE AND PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL SUPREME COURT OF ETHIOPIA
As the Chief Justice and President of the Federal Supreme Court, he assumes an additional responsibility of leading and presiding over two important institutions: Federal Judicial Administration Council, the body responsible for the appointment, promotion and disciplinary issues of the Federal Judges and the Council of Constitutional Inquiry, a constitutional organ established with the power to investigate constitutional disputes and recommend issues in need of constitutional interpretation to the Upper Chamber of the Parliament.
President Tewodros, born in 1974, has over 26 years of experience in the legal profession. Before his appointment as the Chief Justice, he had vast experience in the legal profession including as the lecturer, assistant professor of law and head of legal service department at Addis Ababa University (2011 – 2018); manager and senior legal attorney of the legal services department of the Bank of Abyssinia (2001 – 2005); legal expert at the Justice and legal research institute (1999 – 2001) and attorney of the construction and business bank of Ethiopia (1997 – 1999). In particular, he was a well-established private practitioner and successful lawyer (as consultant and attorney-at-law) since July 2005. He also served with different part-time capacities in various organizations. For instance he had served as the board chairman of Berhan Bank SC., as the president of the Ethiopian Lawyer’s Association and as a member of different team of experts tasked with legal drafting commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce and as a member of Advocate’s Law Reform Team established by the Office of Attorney General.
Mr. Tewodros has also published several research articles in the academic journals and thereby contributed to the development of the legal profession.
Since he assumed the Presidency of the Federal Supreme Court in Mid-January, he has introduced a number of reform programs aimed at modernizing the Country’s judicial services especially through the use of available modern technologies increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the services, improving access to justice, building the capacity of the judges and administrative staffs as well as reform programs aimed at ensuring the transparency and accountability of the judiciary as well as establishing and strengthening strategic partnerships with national, regional and international partners including particularly judicial institutions.
HON. JUSTICE STEVEN ARNOLD MAJIEDT, THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
Hon. Justice Steven Arnold Majiedt is a highly respected South African jurist with a distinguished career spanning advocacy, public service, and the judiciary. After practicing as an advocate at the Cape Bar (1984–1996), he became the Chief Legal Adviser for the Northern Cape Premier’s Office in 1997, serving until 1999 before returning to private practice. A year later, in 2000, he was appointed as a judge in the Northern Cape High Court, where he served for a decade. In 2010, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of Appeal and acted briefly at the Constitutional Court in 2014. On September 11, 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Justice Majiedt as a Constitutional Court judge. Beyond his judicial duties, Majiedt has contributed to legal reform and education as Chairperson of the Rules Board for Courts of Law and as a council member of several esteemed institutions. He is the Chancellor of Sol Plaatje University and an Honorary Professor of Law at the University of the Western Cape, underscoring his commitment to advancing justice and legal scholarship.
HON. JUDGE, DOCTOR OF LAW, PROFESSOR VITALIY URKEVYCH, SECRETARY OF THE GRAND CHAMBER OF THE SUPREME COURT OF UKRAINE
Judge, Doctor of Law, Professor Vitaliy Urkevych has been the Secretary of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ukraine since 2023 and a Judge of the Commercial Cassation Court within the Supreme Court since 2017. He completed his PhD at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Ukraine, in 2007 and served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Agrarian Law at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University from 2007 to 2017.
THE RESPONSE OF HON. JUDGE, DOCTOR OF LAW, PROFESSOR VITALIY URKEVYCH, SECRETARY OF THE GRAND CHAMBER OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
HON. JUSTICE NEEROOA M.I. AZAM, PUISNE JUDGE, THE SUPREME COURT OF MAURITIUS
Hon. Justice Neerooa M.I. Azam is a puisne judge at the Supreme Court of Mauritius. He holds an LLB (Hons) from Buckingham University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Vocational Studies from Northumbria University, and an LLM in Human Rights from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where he was awarded a prestigious Chevening Scholarship. Justice Azam was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in July 1999 and to the Mauritius Bar in 2000.
Justice Azam began his professional career at the State Law Office in 2002. He served as District Magistrate from 2003 to 2007, Senior District Magistrate from 2007 to 2009, and Magistrate at the Intermediate Court from 2009 to 2017. He then transitioned to the Office of Public Prosecutions, where he served as Assistant Director from 2017 to 2020 and Senior Assistant Director from 2020 to 2024. In 2024, he was appointed as a Puisne Judge, a position he currently holds.
In addition to his judicial roles, Justice Azam has chaired key tribunals, including the Fair Rent Tribunal (2012) and the Valuation Tribunal (2016–2019). He has also served as a Returning Officer in National Assembly and Local Elections, reflecting his dedication to public service. He previously contributed to legal education as a part-time lecturer at the University of Mauritius and at the Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies Mauritius, fostering the next generation of legal professionals.
HON. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE HELLENIC COUNCIL OF STATE (SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE COURT) GREECE, MR. CHRISTOS NTOUCHANIS
Born in 1959, Christos Ntouchanis graduated from the Law School of the University of Athens. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Law (D.E.A.) from the University of PARIS V (René Descartes). He also graduated from the National School of Public Administration. His career at the Hellenic Council of State began in 1991 as an Assistant Judge, progressing to Associate Councilor in 1998, Councilor in 2013 and Vice-President in 2023.
He is a member of the Fifth Section of the Council of State and has handled before the Section and the Plenary a large number of cases in the fields of spatial planning law, environmental law, urban planning law and archaeological law etc. of a jurisdictional or advisory (elaboration of draft presidential decrees) nature before the Section and the Plenary.
He was responsible for the coordination of the Court’s international relations (2005 – 2016). In this context, he has represented the Council of State on several occasions in the European and International Association of Supreme Administrative Courts (ACA – Europe, Association Internationale des Hautes Juridictions Admιnistratives). He actively participated in the bilateral meetings with the French Conseil d’Etat in 2021 and 2023. He has served as a member of the Supreme Special Court, the Supreme Disciplinary Council of Judges under Article 91 of the Constitution and the Supreme Judicial Council of Administrative Justice.
He has taught at the National Center for Public Administration and at the National School of Judges. He has presented lectures in postgraduate programmes at the Law School of Athens, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Panteion University. He has participated in many workshops and conferences as a lecturer in Greece and abroad.
He speaks and writes French and English and has a good knowledge of Italian.
HON. JUDGE MIRSAD CEMAN, THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Born in Miljanovci (Tešanj Municipality) in 1955, Hon. Judge Mirsad Ceman graduated from the Faculty of Law in Banja Luka in 1979 and passed the bar exam in Sarajevo in 1998. From 1979 to 1982, he worked in Tešanj Municipality, initially as a judicial intern and later as an officer responsible for organizing and promoting the work of administrative bodies and managing normative activities. Between 1982 and 1990, he served as Head of the Office of Self-Governance and Legal Affairs in “Energoinvest” and “Enker,” Tešanj. From 1991 to 1993, he was the President of the Executive Board of Tešanj Municipality. From 1990 to 2006, he was actively involved in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s legislative bodies, including the Assembly of S/RBiH. During this time, he contributed to expert and legal working bodies and served on regular and ad hoc commissions focused on constitutional matters. He participated in numerous conferences on constitutional issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2007 until his appointment as a judge, he practiced law in Sarajevo and was an authorized mediator. His professional development included judicial reform, the application of the European Convention on Human Rights, law drafting, criminal and civil proceedings, and international humanitarian law. He co-authored the Law Drafting Manual as part of the Judicial Development Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina and served as a consultant in drafting systemic laws and regulations. He is a long-standing member of the Committee of Bar Examiners at the national level and has served as an examiner in Constitutional System and Organisation of Judiciary, previously covering Administrative and Labour Law. In October 2008, he was appointed as a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served as President from 2015 to 2018 and was elected Vice-President in 2018, with re-election in 2021 for another three-year term.
Hon. Justice Alex Stein, The Supreme Court of Israel
Alex Stein, born in 1957 in Kishinev, USSR, immigrated to Israel in 1973. After graduating from the Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, he served in the Israel Defense Forces, participating in the Litani and Peace for Galilee operations and working as a legal officer in Gaza. He completed his law degree (LL.B.) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1983 and went on to clerk for Justice Menachem Elon of the Supreme Court of Israel.
Justice Stein holds an LL.M. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. from the University of London. He has had a distinguished academic career, serving as the Sylvan M. Cohen Professor of Law at the Hebrew University and teaching as a Visiting Professor at leading institutions, including Harvard, Yale, and Oxford.
Appointed to the Supreme Court of Israel in 2018, Justice Stein is a renowned expert in torts, evidence, medical malpractice, and the economic analysis of law. He has authored four groundbreaking books and over sixty influential articles in leading legal journals worldwide. His career reflects a unique blend of legal practice, academic excellence, and judicial service.
GLOBAL SOUTH NETWORK (GSN) 