Reinventare La Pace

Prof. Simone Borg from the Faculty of Laws, University of Malta was a key note speaker at a Law Seminar, held in Rome on 20 September 2025, which also marked the launch of the book “Un’Orizzonte di Luce oltre la Frammentazione dell’Umano,” co-edited by Maria Voce and Adriana Cosseddu.  The book evaluates law from the perspective of relationships, aiming to protect the vulnerable and ensure dignity, justice, and peace nationally and internationally.

Prof. Borg’s intervention presented a comprehensive discussion on the role of law in society, emphasizing its potential to foster peace, justice, and well-being through nurturing relationships and fraternity. She delved into the law’s complexity, the relationship and the distinction between Jus and Lex, reflecting upon the increasing complexity of legal norms. She stressed that the effectiveness of law depends on quality, not quantity and the danger of confounding quantity with quality.

Her intervention also delved into how Law should not be seen merely as imposing limits but as a means to build meaningful, trust-based relationships that promote justice and peace at all societal levels. She gave examples of how contributors from diverse legal traditions agree that law’s mission is to balance individual and community rights through reciprocity, fostering inclusivity and stewardship.

Prof. Borg also spoke about modern challenges in law-making especially addressing contemporary issues such as environmental crises, right to privacy, artificial intelligence, and the need for law to adapt to these new realities while maintaining social integration and peace.

She also focused on multilateralism and its effects on humanity, highlighting the importance of people’s participation in multilateralism as envisioned by the UN Charter, advocating for law to serve humanity beyond state interests. In this context she spoke about civil society’s role, namely the inclusion of civil society in multilateral dialogues, especially on environmental issues, seen as essential exercise for effective international law and peace. She recalled good neighbourliness among States as a legal principle of International law, reflecting upon the “spirit of brotherhood” that together with freedom and equality, is one of the three legal pillars under the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

Prof. Borg concluded that the ultimate goal of law therefore is to promote fraternity both as a means and an end in order to achieve freedom, equality, justice and peace for the benefit of present and future generations.