On 1-2 June 2026 the International Congress on the Rule of Law and Judicial Ethics took place at the National High Court of Brazil in Brasilia, assembling Presidents and Chief Justices’ of courts and jurisdictions from across the world, as well as distinguished academics. Hosted by the National High Court of Brazil and its Chief Justice Antonio Herman Benjamin and advised by a committee including Professor Margaret Satterthwaite (United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers) the Congress fostered dialogue among judges on the importance and relevance of ethical frameworks, including the 2002 Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, as well as the necessity of adhering to the judiciaries’ essential values of independence, impartiality and equity. The eight roundtable events addressed different aspects of judicial ethics including on new challenges relating to social media and artificial intelligence. President Guyomar addressed the Congress on Judges and the Rule of Law, and Judicial Independence. The Congress also heard from Chief Justices from superior courts across Europe, South America and Africa, as well as Judicial representatives from other regional courts including the European Court of Justice and the Caribbean Court of Justice.

The Congress was an exceptional meeting at which the European Court participated fully in an international network expressing solidarity between judges. A report summarizing the key points and conclusions will be produced after the event.