The Honourable Diana Bryant AO QC, Chair of the Board of the World Congress

Mr Yap Teong Liang, Chair of the Family Law and Family Rights Section, LAWASIA

Members of the Board of the World Congress

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

I am delighted to welcome everyone to the 8^th World Congress on Family Law and Children Rights. The World Congress was set up with the vision of enhancing, promoting, and protecting the rights of children and young people. These are important issues.

The original plan was to convene the Congress as a physical gathering in Singapore last year. It would have been our pleasure to extend hospitality to everyone as the host country for this very important Congress. However, COVID-19 has disrupted our lives and continues to pose challenges for large scale physical meetings. I am glad that we are still able to convene this congress virtually today, without compromising on the depth of the discourse.

The 8^th Congress seeks to promote international co-operation on the movement of children and consider best practices in addressing family-justice matters. It also aims to engender conversations about international treaties and possible reform, as well as revisit pressing issues such as cyber security and human trafficking.

Just as the world is seeking new ways to live and thrive amid the pandemic, we should also take the opportunity to reflect on how the family justice system can be transformed to help parties navigate a path of healing and find a new way forward. In particular, involving children and considering their perspectives on issues that affect them can provide insight on how we can better support our families and children. The theme chosen for the Congress – “Through the eyes of a Child” is therefore apt for our discussions on the family justice system.

Singapore has taken bold strides to reimagine family justice for our families and children. In the past two decades, our family justice system has gone through two waves of procedural reforms to keep pace with the evolving realities of society and the changing needs of families in distress. This has culminated in our vision for a family court that is fully committed to Therapeutic Justice in a problem-solving, multi-disciplinary environment. We would be pleased to share more on our vision and approach towards resolving family disputes during the Congress.

Singapore is also committed to promoting and advancing the rights of our children. During Singapore’s presentation of its combined Fourth and Fifth Periodic Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2019, the Committee commended many of our efforts to advance children’s rights. These included the establishment of the Family Justice Courts, the use of robust screening and reporting tools for child protection, and significant investments in the Early Childhood Education sector. Singapore will continue to review existing approaches and learn from best practices, so that we can better protect and support our children.

Both men and women play important roles in the family and in caring for our children. Singapore aims to deepen and grow the partnership between our women and men, with respect as the cornerstone. This will shape more positive attitudes towards equitable family roles and create the best environment for our children to thrive in. It is in this spirit that Singapore has dedicated 2021 as the Year of Celebrating Singapore Women to recognise the importance of our women’s contributions.

I thank the World Congress for facilitating these necessary conversations on the rights of children and pressing family law issues. I am certain that the rich exchange of expertise and experience will inspire creative solutions to current challenges as we focus our collective energies on reimagining ways to help families and children in distress. I wish everyone a fruitful and meaningful Congress. Thank you.