Kenya hosts Africa-Asia forum on international law

Kenya on Tuesday opened a forum of African and Asian nations to discuss challenges in the area of international law.

Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto told an international legal forum that both regions have agreed to enhance their cooperation in order to safeguard their interests.

"We will work closely together to tackle existing and emerging threats by forging closer links in the area of international law," Ruto said during the opening ceremony of the 56th session of the Asian African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) conference.

The five-day event will bring together senior government officials and policy makers from the 47 member states to discuss emerging challenges to international law.

This will be the third time that Kenya is hosting the event since the East African nation joined the body in 1970. Ruto said that Asia and Africa combined are home to majority of the world's population.

"We therefore have to speak with one voice in legal matters of common concern," he noted. The government official said that both regions have a clear vision on the need for international laws that promote justice and peace.

He noted that in many occasions, Asia and African states have demonstrated that they can achieve a positive global impact if they cooperate.

The deputy leader noted that global institutions should be grounded in fairness as to deliver justice for all.

"However, some of these institutions are often tools for global power politics and don't deliver justice for the developing countries," he added. Endit