The Honourable Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong attended the 20th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific from 16-19 September 2026 in Seoul, Korea.
The Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific (CJAP) is the leading international forum in the region where Chief Justices gather to share insights on judicial systems and advancements in their respective judiciaries. The conference is a biennial event which provides the Chief Justices from Asia and the Pacific region with a forum for discussing various issues that are of common interest to judiciaries.
Since its inaugural meeting in Penang, Malaysia in August 1985, the conference has served as a cornerstone for judicial cooperation. The conference has become a valuable forum to facilitate the professional exchange of ideas amongst the top judges in Asia and the Pacific region.
Organised by the Judicial Section of the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA), the 20th Conference was hosted by the Supreme Court of Korea. Participating Chief Justices and representative judges examined and explored diverse challenges facing all judiciaries in different discussion sessions with topics including the role of the judiciary, use of AI in law, the importance of judicial education, law and gender-based violence, judicial integrity and public trust, and the privatisation of justice.
The 20th CJAP was attended by Chief Justices and representative judges from across 40 jurisdictions including Australia, Azerbaijan, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, Czechia, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Macao SAR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Türkiye, United States of America, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Representatives from international organizations were also in attendance, including the Asian Development Bank, the European Court of Human Rights, the European Law Institute, The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law, the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts, OECD, UNCITRAL, UNDP, UNIDROIT, the World Bank, UNODC, WIPO and the World Justice Project.
At the conference, Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong delivered his paper ‘Adil Laila Bahagia: A Bruneian Perspective on Judicial Independence, Integrity, Public Trust and Confidence’ during the session on Judicial Integrity and Public Trust.
The Chief Justice held bilateral meetings with The Honourable Chief Justice Jo Hee-de of the Republic of Korea and The Honourable Chief Justice Andrew Bell of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia and Chair of the Judicial Division of LAWASIA on the side-lines of the conference. The Chief Justice also made a visit to the Supreme Court of Korea and the Judicial Research and Training Institute (JRTI).
Also in attendance were the Acting Chief Registrar, Hajah Hazarena binti POKSJ DP Haji Hurairah and Senior Registrar, Hajah Noor Amalina binti DP Haji Alaihuddin from the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam.
SUPREME COURT OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM / 19 SEPTEMBER 2026