President of the STF opens meeting of representatives of the Supreme Courts of the G20 countries in Rio de Janeiro

The meeting of representatives of the Supreme Courts of the G20 countries (J20) began on Monday morning (13) at the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice. The G20 is an international economic cooperation forum that brings together the world's 19 largest economies, the European Union and the African Union.

The president of the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF), Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, opened the meeting presenting the theme of the first session of the meeting, "Promoting citizenship and social inclusion through the Judiciary", which was closed to the public. This Monday's meeting is restricted to delegations and representatives of the Brazilian Judiciary.

The minister reported on initiatives by the Brazilian Court and the National Council of Justice (CNJ) to promote gender diversity in the Judiciary. He also spoke about the National Pact of the Judiciary for Plain Language, with the aim of making judicial decisions more accessible to society, and about the promotion of social rights. "I therefore invite the representatives of the Courts from different parts of the world to enrich the debate by bringing examples of initiatives on these aspects."

The role of clear communication with society in guaranteeing rights and promoting trust in the Judiciary was the focus of most of the participants' speeches. Representatives from nations such as France, South Africa, Mexico and Italy, among others, shared the experiences led by their countries' Supreme Courts in this regard. Newsletters, podcasts, television programs and dialogues with students were some of the examples cited as initiatives to explain the Court's main decisions and bring them closer to citizens.

Most of the representatives also shared examples of the efforts made in their countries to increase female participation in the Judiciary and spoke of their concern for the social inclusion of vulnerable groups, such as indigenous people and the LGTQIA+ population. The common view that the Supreme Courts need to be representative and reflect what is expressed in society was demonstrated, without losing sight of the fact that decisions should not be popular but should respect the laws and legal traditions of each nation.