Message from Convenor, International Conferences of Chief Justices of the World & Manager, City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow

Our children are the common present concern and future hope of all peoples and nations. It is vital that their future be safeguarded. It is our inter-generational responsibility to bequeath to them a brighter and safer future. Nevertheless, current and threatened wars and conflicts around the world make their future anxious and insecure. And yet we know that children must be protected and nurtured, and that they have unqualified rights to education, equal opportunities, a safe and healthy environment, and, above all, love and affection.

Despite a growing awareness for the need of effective global governance in this interdependent world, it is widely accepted that the United Nations does not have the capacity or the systems to mitigate or address many of the world’s problems. It is absolutely necessary to revisit and revise the present global governance framework, starting with a long-overdue review of the UN Charter. The UN’s Summit of the Future held on 22–23 September 2024 deliberated on this issue. Although no date for review of the Charter was declared, the Summit issued guiding principles in relation to various problems and issues on global matters.

For the last 26 years the students of City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow—recognised as the world’s largest school by the Guinness Book of World Records, now with over 64,000 students, and laureate of the 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education—have been appealing to the World Judiciary, on behalf of the world’s over 2.5 billion children and generations yet-to-be born, to safeguard their future. These appeals have been made at successive events organised by CMS, known as the International Conferences of Chief Justices of the World. At these Conferences, which were conceived by my late father and founder of CMS Dr Jagdish Gandhi, resolutions were passed to urge the world’s leadership to unite and form a New World Order recognising the undeniable need to establish enforceable international law. These resolutions did not seek to criticise or denigrate the United Nations, but to uphold and support its authority, prestige and power for addressing the problems facing humanity and our planet.

Continuing this noble mission, the 27th Conference will be held between 25th–30th November 2026. It is my honour and privilege to invite to this event not only the Honourable Chief Justices and Judges of Supreme Courts, and Judges of the International Court of Justice, but also some of the Heads of States, Heads of Governments, Speakers of Parliaments, and eminent representatives of organisations related to the theme of the Conference. It is the responsibility of all leaders of thought, including the world judiciary, to make their united voice heard in order to urge a wider global perspective, so that the future of the world may be safeguarded.

We hope that the platform of this Conference will provide the judiciary an opportunity to reflect on the role that it can play in bringing about global governance reforms that address the real problems facing the world today in the interest of a safe and secure future for humanity, especially for over 2.5 billion children of the world and future generations. We hope that the path of collaboration, partnership and the exchange of knowledge will be chosen to find these elusive solutions.