- Hon'ble Mr. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Supreme Court of Pakistan;

- Hon'ble Mr. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Supreme Court of Pakistan;

- Dr. Sébastien Lorion, Acting Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan;

- Distinguished members of the judiciary, government, civil society, academia, private sector, development partners, activists, and policy experts;

Assalam-u-Alaikum and good afternoon to all. As we close Pakistan’s first Rule of Law Forum today, there could not have been a better moment or place where together we lay the foundation for a more fair, just, effective system for the future.

The world of indices (or indexes) doesn’t often look kindly on Pakistan (low on the HDI, low on women in the workplace, low on children out of school, and the list is not a short one). I’m afraid the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2025 looks very similar: Pakistan ranking 130th out of 143 countries. Measuring things like case backlogs, crowding in prisons, outdated or incoherent policies – you know why the ranking looks that way.

But behind every case number, every measurement, is a person waiting — for a hearing, for release, for a decision that will shape a life. This people-centered approach to rule of law and access to justice is what this Forum keeps in view.

In fact, it’s what the Deliver Justice Project, generously funded by the European Union, has sought to do since 2021. Like this Forum, Deliver Justice asks the right question: what does people-centered mean in the future, looking outward and looking forward. This approach often looks like day-dreaming or crystal-balling, but noticing emerging trends also comes out of lived experience, data and lessons learned. For this Forum, three issues stand out.

The first is climate justice. It’s indisputable now that Pakistan is among the countries most affected by climate change in the world. As disasters intensify – flood, drought, or other - and resources shrink, the heaviest burden falls on those least able to carry it. Noting this climate inequity, courts are now being asked to rule on environmental protection, climate-induced displacement, natural resource governance, and the enforcement of environmental rights. A justice sector that does not respond to climate injustice belongs in the past, not the future.

The second is commercial justice. A healthy economy needs stability and predictability. A Pakistan that is open for business and investment, a Pakistan that is on a fast road to growth with a private sector engine, a truly Uraan Pakistan must make commercial justice a cornerstone of its strategy. The European Union’s GSP+ arrangement reflects this interest. And the judiciary has taken real steps, establishing commercial corridors and mechanisms to speed up arbitration. This is the moment to further improve legal and regulatory frameworks, strengthen institutional efficiency, and build the investor confidence that rule of law makes possible.

The third is artificial intelligence: popular to curse but indispensable for the future. AI’s reach is expanding across every field, and the justice sector is no exception. AI is already shaping how legal research is done and how judicial decisions are reached, speeding up case disposal. Around the world, we have already seen fabricated cases cited in filings, and judgments drafted by chatbots. Pakistan is not immune to this, which led to the Supreme Court developing its own AI guidelines to make integration safer and more ethical.

The approach behind the Supreme Court’s guidelines echoes what the UN Secretary-General told the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva only days ago: that AI’s future should be one where “machines can inform, but humans must decide, and answer.” In a courtroom, that line is not abstract. It is the difference between a tool that assists a judge to be more knowledgeable as much as compassionate, or one that further dehumanizes victims and accused alike.

So, three very different frontiers: climate, commerce, and AI, connected by one simple thread: institutions that are strong, just and inclusive serving everyone now and in the future – which happens to be SDG 16.

I am grateful to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and to the European Union, whose steady collaboration has shaped this work, and to everyone who gave their time to these conversations, especially the panelists and Honorable Justices Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Muhammad Ali Mazhar.

That spirit of partnership is what carries this work forward. In the years ahead, UNDP hopes this Forum becomes a lighthouse that helps justice institutions, activists, and innovators navigate a better future. Because in the end, responsive institutions are how we make sure no one is left behind. Thank you!

- Delivered by Dr. Samuel Rizk on 9 July 2026 in Islamabad.