The third annual Rule of Law Day will be held at the University of Helsinki's main building on Thursday, October 24, 2024, from 12:00 to 17:00. The event will be conducted in English and can also be followed online.
Rule of Law Day is a free event open to everyone. It brings together leading domestic and international experts in development cooperation and the rule of law from the public sector, NGOs, and academia to discuss successes and challenges in promoting the rule of law. Participation requires registration on the Rule of Law Centre's website https://www.helsinki.fi/en/networks/rule-law-centre/operation/rule-law-day-24-oct-2024
Each year, during Rule of Law Day, the Rule of Law Centre at the University of Helsinki and the Leo Mechelin Foundation award the Leo Mechelin Medal to an individual who has made significant contributions to advocating for the rule of law. The award ceremony also includes the recipient's Leo Mechelin Lecture.
The 2024 Leo Mechelin Lecturer will be internationally renowned governance and political scientist Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, professor at the Italian LUISS University and director of the European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building (ERCAS). In addition to her distinguished academic career, Professor Mungiu-Pippidi has served in various expert roles for different EU institutions, and her recommendations for promoting good governance have been recognized in many countries.
Her book, The Quest for Good Governance (Cambridge University Press, 2015), explores why some societies succeed in eradicating corruption to the point where it becomes rare, while others remain systematically corrupt. How do societies reach a stage where integrity is the norm, and corruption is the exception in public administration and the distribution of shared resources?
Mungiu-Pippidi's latest monograph, Europe's Burden: Promoting Good Governance across Borders (Cambridge University Press, 2020), examines why many of the EU's initiatives for promoting good governance and fighting corruption have not yielded the desired outcomes, particularly in its external relations.
In addition to the Leo Mechelin Lecture, Rule of Law Day will feature panel discussions on the relationship between strong institutions and the rule of law, as well as effective anti-corruption strategies. The panelists are internationally recognized researchers and experts in good governance, anti-corruption, and development cooperation. The discussions will be moderated by Krista Taubert, Head of World News and Current Affairs at the Finnish Broadcasting Company.
The Rule of Law Centre, established in 2021 under the Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki, supports the development of the rule of law in developing countries. Its operations are funded in part by development cooperation funds from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
