Concept Note
27th International Conference of Chief Justices of the World 2026
Theme: ‘Filling the Gaps in International Law and its Enforceability’
International law has not kept up with the challenges of the 21st century. There are numerous issues in which domestic legal regimes are inadequate.
Climate change, gross disparities of wealth, weapons of mass destruction, and the health of the rainforests and oceans are among the challenges to peace, security and well-being that impact every human being everywhere, and which cannot be met only at the national level. Such challenges to human security are becoming increasingly acute while the political relations amongst the world’s most powerful nations are increasingly and dangerously adversarial. We believe that principles of justice embodied in both national and international systems of law are necessary to meet these challenges.
In domains such as artificial intelligence, weaponisation, development and governance of space, cybersecurity, and protecting the global commons, the application of law remains fragmented, largely voluntary, and weakly enforced. Even where norms exist, compliance often depends on political convenience rather than legal obligation.
Furthermore, there remains a pressing need to strengthen institutional capacity to create new and enforce existing international law relating to international crimes, corruption, environmental degradation, and international humanitarian law.
- This raises a central challenge for the international legal order:
- How can we integrate national legal systems into reinforcing international law?
- How can we do better in obtaining the stabilising benefits of the rule of law in international relations?
Unlike domestic systems, international law has no central authority, limited sanctions, and uneven accountability. States, acting primarily in self-interest, comply selectively, exposing a widening governance gap. Without cooperation and recognition of national self-interest in advancing international law, enforcement efforts will remain inadequate.
We cannot ignore a most pressing essential question:
Can law remain credible if it lacks enforceability?
CJC 2026 seeks to address these challenges directly.
Purpose
As it has successfully done in the past, the Conference will provide a high-level judicial forum. This year we will examine legal concepts and policies to help amplify the status of the rule of law with a specific focus on improving the effectiveness of international law. It will advance analysis and policy suggestions on a variety of critically important questions. How do we strengthen national law to reinforce international law? How do we create accountability for crimes by states and sub-state actors who violate international law? How can we strengthen international legal institutions such as the World Court and the International Criminal Court? Do we need new courts to address ecocide, human rights, corruption, environmental injuries? Does nature have rights? Are there legal obligations to future generations? What can we learn from the effectiveness in areas of commerce and finance of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards which has integrated effectively into national systems of enforcement?
Focus Areas
We will not avoid a critical examination of the relationship between enforceability and legitimacy and address the concern that the authority of the rule of law will continue to diminish in the absence of effective enforcement. The Conference will include emerging legal domains such as artificial intelligence, space governance, cyber law, and the global commons. It will also explore pathways for moving from soft law toward meaningful accountability through improved norms, incentives, and compliance mechanisms, while highlighting the role of courts in influencing state behavior and shaping global legal norms.
Format
The Conference will provide a format that encourages meaningful engagement. It will feature focused plenary sessions led by Chief Justices, senior judges and experts, complemented by small thematic roundtables to allow in-depth discussion. Structured interactions between judges and students will foster critical dialogue, while select keynote presentations will be substantive lectures rather than ceremonial addresses.
Expected Outcomes
The Conference will generate clear and principled judicial perspectives on advancing the rule of law with an emphasis on improving international law. It will offer practical insights into strengthening compliance and accountability beyond purely voluntary frameworks, while producing high-quality intellectual outputs for wider dissemination as a service to improve global sustainable stability, a matter of supreme importance among legal, academic, and policy communities. In doing so, the Conference will further advance the value of the International Conference of Chief Justices of the World as a leading global forum for sustained relevant judicial engagement.
About the Organiser
The organiser of the Conference is City Montessori School, India (a senior secondary school) recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest school by pupils in a single city, and is a recipient of the 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. The school is an NGO associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN DPI).
The International Conference of Chief Justices of the World (ICCJW) was conceived and convened since 2001 consecutively by the champion of quality and value-based education, the Late Dr Jagdish Gandhi, Founder of City Montessori School, a doyen of world unity and peace and a passionate life-long advocate for a democratic and representative global governance structure.
The Conference is inspired by Article 51 of the Constitution of India, which relates to promoting international peace and security, fostering respect for international law, encouraging settlement of international disputes by arbitration, and the maintenance of just and honourable relations between nations. By 2025, a total of 1576 Chief Justices and Judges from 143 countries and also many Heads of States/Governments, had participated in the Conference.