The Faculty of Law (FH) of Universitas Indonesia (UI) held the 6th International Conference of Law and Governance in a Global Context (icLave), on 4-5 November 2024, at the FHUI Depok Campus. The annual conference with the theme “Re-shaping the Future of Indonesian Higher Legal Education” is an important meeting place for academics, legal practitioners, and government officials to discuss the challenges and developments in higher legal education in Indonesia and internationally.
This activity was opened with a keynote speech by the Chairperson of the UI Board of Professors (DGB), Prof. Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, S.H., M.A., Ph.D. In her presentation, she reflected on the 100-year journey of higher legal education, as well as the challenges of including adjustments to rapid changes in law and technology. Prof. Harkristuti also emphasized that higher legal education must ensure that its graduates have professional responsibility and innovation that is in line with legal reform.
In its implementation, the international conference which also collaborated with the Constitutional Court (MK) of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) consisted of two plenary sessions that lasted for two days. The activity presented prominent speakers, including Prof. Joanne van der Leun (Leiden University); Dr. Sripapha Petcharamasree (Chulalongkorn University); Dr. Jeremy Kingsley (Western Sydney University); Prof. Dr. Jeff Gidings (Monash University); Prof. Henk Addink (Uttrecht University); and two FHUI professors, namely Prof. M. R. Andri Gunawan Wibisana, S.H., LL.M., Ph.D., and Prof. Dr. Dra. Sulistyowati Irianto, M.A.
As part of academic and scientific support, this conference collaborated with several prestigious Scopus-indexed journals published by FHUI, namely the Indonesian Law Review Journal, the Indonesian Journal of International Law, and the Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies. Participants who want their articles published in the journal must follow the writing guidelines determined by each publisher. Selected articles that meet the publisher’s criteria will be published in a book by Nova Publisher which will later be submitted to the Scopus index.
Meanwhile, at the end of the event, the Chairperson of FHUI DGB, Prof. Dr. Yetty Komalasari Dewi, S.H., M.L.I., read the Ashta Dharma declaration of Indonesian Higher Legal Education. “This declaration is also an important part of the reflection of 100 Years of Higher Legal Education in Indonesia, which emphasizes the commitment of the academic community to maintain the dignity of the university as a center for the development of science,” said Prof. Yetty.
The declaration, which consists of eight important points, is the result of collective thinking by legal activists in Indonesia. This mandate is a guideline for advancing legal education that not only emphasizes the transmission of knowledge, but also the development of ethics, practical skills, and adaptation to dynamic global challenges.
Ashta Dharma consists of Ethics-Based Education; Guarantee of Protection and Academic Freedom for Campuses; Impartiality of Judges; Development of Research Skills and Policy Analysis; Adaptation to Megatrends and Rapid Change; Implementation of Case-Based Learning Model (Case Approach); Expanding Reference Sources through Comparative Studies; and Development of Practical and Critical Skills.
“This declaration is expected to be a reference for higher legal education institutions in Indonesia in improving the quality of integrative and adaptive legal education. In addition, we also hope that this declaration can strengthen the role of legal education in forming graduates who are not only academically competent, but also ethical and highly dedicated to upholding justice,” said Prof. Yetty.
She further said that the points of this declaration are points that were summarized in a panel discussion to encourage the development of higher legal education in the future. Thus, this declaration is addressed to stakeholders as a policy recommendation, especially the government to take action in legal reform in the 2nd century of higher legal education in Indonesia.
