Dubai, UAE, 26 October 2019:   Dubai Judicial Institute (DJI) hosted the board members of the Euro-Arab Judicial Training Network (EAJTN) for the first time. The visit came on the side-lines of a recent workshop organised by DJI on 15 and 16 October under the theme ‘AI Today and Beyond’ to discuss ways to harness artificial intelligence AI in the judicial and legal fields.

During the meeting, HE Justice Dr Jamal Al Sumaiti, Director General of DJI, praised the valuable role played by EAJTN, especially in its support of cooperation in the field of judicial training and providing opportunities to benefit from the experiences of participating countries as well as the exchange of experiences, programmes, and seminars among them. Al Sumaiti stressed that EAJTN is one of the best international institutions concerned with the training of judges and works to raise their efficiency and equip them with the best legal sciences as well as various skills, preparing them to contribute to the elevating of the judicial system for the good of the nation and citizens.

The UAE was represented by Sumaiti; Dr Mohammed Al Kamali, Director General of the Judicial Training Institute; and Counsellor Obaid Al Qamzi from the Institute of Judicial Studies. Also in attendance was Judge Ihsan Burkan, Director of the Jordanian Judicial Institute, in her role as Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Network.

Raff Dan Ransbeek represented Belgium as Chairman of the Board of Directors, while Mr Abdel Haneen Touzani, Director of the Higher Institute of the Judiciary, was present as Vice-Chairman. Owaid Al-Thuwaimer and Fahad Al-Mutairi from the Kuwait Institute for Legal and Judicial Studies were also in attendance as well as delegations from Spain and France.

EAJTN is an official institution that empowers specialised entities in the training of judges, prosecutors, and members of the judiciary in their countries. The network is keen to organise, meet, and collaborate with these parties mutually to create perceptions about joint training programmes and mechanisms.

The network is driven by specific objectives, including deepening mutual knowledge of judicial systems, improving the joint use of national and international means of cooperation as well as sharing professional expertise to reach the best applications. The network is also working on joint cooperation for the formation, reform, and development of training institutions for judges and prosecutors in addition to developing cooperation between the various training programmes planned by the participating country, arranging for joint training activities and prosecutors. The network comprises 13 countries, of which six are European — The Netherlands, Belgium, Romania, France, Italy and Spain — and seven are Arab: The UAE, Jordan, Algeria, Palestine, Kuwait, Tunisia, and Morocco.