Deputy Minister Andries Nel: OECD Justice Leaders’ Dialogue and Global Roundtable on Equal Access to Justice

Chairperson
Excellencies, Ministers and distinguished participants

We convey our profound appreciation to the Government of Spain for hosting us in the beautiful city of Madrid – you have made it a Barrio de Justicia for all of us.

We thank the OECD for convening this very important, and timely, Dialogue and Global Roundtable on Equal Access to Justice.

We meet in a difficult international conjuncture, marked by rising conflict, intolerance, authoritarianism, and a waning confidence in public institutions and their leaders — a moment when multilateralism and a rules-based international order are once again under strain.

Such forces, left unchecked in the last century, led to the conflagration, rubble and ashes from which Europe arose by choosing cooperation and reconstruction over confrontation — exemplified, amongst others, by the formation of the OECD’s ancestor, the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation in 1948.

In less than a fortnight, on 22–23 November, South Africa will host the G20 Summit under the theme: Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability — the first time that it is held on the African Continent.

During a recent meeting with Pope Leo XIV, President Cyril Ramaphosa cautioned that:
“… even as we strive for these goals, the shadows of division and fragmentation lengthen.
In such a time, we are summoned to forge a common front of the human spirit.

We are called to build a multilateral order rooted in universal values, where the rule of law is the shield of the powerless and justice is a foundation for lasting peace.

For in the end, our freedom, our security and our prosperity are bound together.
To ignore the plight of any is to ultimately endanger the future of all.”

That is why this dialogue is so important.

It must concern us that there are countries that continue to violate international law and defy UN resolutions and rulings from bodies like the International Court of Justice, including in the case brought by South Africa against Israel for genocidal actions against the Palestinian people.

We welcome the establishment of the Hague Group and the Madrid Group aimed at reaffirming the primacy of international law, promoting accountability and ensuring support for a just peace.

Next year, South Africa celebrates the 30th anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution in 1996.

The Preamble to our Constitution enjoins us, amongst others, to:
“Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law,” and also to:
“Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person.”

Of the inextricable connection between these objectives, President Nelson Mandela said:
“Human beings will never be free if they have no bread, nor will they be satisfied with bread if they are not free.”

The report of the 2025 G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality, led by Joseph E. Stiglitz, makes the point that:
“Economic inequalities tend to get translated into political inequalities, including, for instance, in access to justice or having a say in the political process.”

Since 1994, South Africa’s justice system has been transformed from a racially exclusive and oppressive network of eleven separate apartheid-era administrations into a unified, constitutional system founded on equality, access and accountability.

Over three decades, significant progress has been made in broadening access to justice, diversifying the judiciary and strengthening its independence, and building institutions that give life to the promise of the Constitution.

Yet the vision of an accessible, affordable, effective and truly people-centred justice system remains unfinished.

Infrastructure backlogs, unstable digital systems, lengthy delays and inefficiencies, prohibitive costs and, sadly, corruption — continue to limit full access to justice.

Artificial intelligence and other technologies can play a meaningful role — either by enhancing efficiency, transparency and access to justice, or by exacerbating and accelerating existing inequalities and systemic challenges.

Completing this journey is our central task.

We look forward to doing so in partnership with organisations such as the OECD and its commitment to justice as a public service and the 2023 OECD Recommendation on Access to Justice and People-Centred Justice Systems.

We welcome the partnership that led to South Africa’s recent exit from the Financial Action Task Force Grey-list.

This dialogue reminds us that our challenges are shared — and so must be our solutions.

We thank you.

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