His Holiness Pope Francis received the Director-General of the International Development Law Organization, Jan Beagle, in a private audience at the Vatican.
The first-ever meeting between the two leaders was an opportunity to discuss the strong alignment between IDLO’s mission to deliver people-centred justice and the Pontificate priorities of human rights, democracy, good governance and social justice at a time when justice is in crisis in so many countries.
During the discussion, the Director-General shared examples of IDLO’s efforts to encourage states to commit to the rule of law and to make justice accessible to all, with a focus on areas of mutual interest, such as combatting corruption and promoting climate justice, food security, child rights and public health.
The two spoke of the importance of closing the gender justice gap to address inequalities, including through the elimination of gender discriminatory laws. They agreed that all these efforts must be targeted to vulnerable groups and people living in conflict-affected contexts and fragile states, ensuring that the most marginalized have a voice.
In its 40th anniversary year, IDLO looks forward to exploring areas of collaboration with the Holy See on advocating for rule of law-based interventions to address the key challenges of our times.
