The World Justice Forum III assembled over 400 delegates from more than 100 countries which resulted in the design of nearly 50 new, innovative multidisciplinary projects to strengthen the rule of law around the world.

The Forum featured remarks from: Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe; William H. Gates, Sr., Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Cherie Booth, Co-Founder of the Africa Justice Foundation; and Adama Dieng, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, among others. Justice Arthur Chaskalson, former Chief Justice of South Africa, and Aruna Roy, who spearheaded efforts to enact India’s ground-breaking Right to Information Act through her organization Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), were honored with the inaugural World Justice Project Rule of Law Award.

Findings from the WJP Rule of Law Index^® 2011 report, covering 66 countries and jurisdictions around the globe, were publicly presented for the first time.

The Forum facilitated engaging discussion on ten critical rule of law issues, which were addressed through topical panels and project design sessions. The issues covered included, among others: Economic Development and the Rule of Law; The Rule of Law and Fair Elections; The Rule of Law, the Environment, and Public Health; and Freedom of the Press, Access to Information, and the Rule of Law. Project design sessions on these topics succeeded in generating creative yet practical projects to advance the rule of law.

As these programs are implemented in the coming months, the true impact of the Forum will be realized: the rule of  law and its foundational significance will be better understood; progress in government reform furthered and sustained; and the networks established at the Forum will be consolidated to achieve effective rule of law through multidisciplinary collaboration.