Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The Second High-Level Meeting of Women Judicial Leaders of Africa was held in Johannesburg from 20 to 24 April 2026, bringing together over 300 Chief Justices, Presidents of Constitutional Courts, and senior judicial leaders to address challenges facing African justice systems. The event, themed "The Maputo Protocol @20: Consolidating the Jurisprudence of Equality for the Next Generation," focused on artificial intelligence (AI) in courts—especially its effect on evidence assessment, case management, and justice delivery—while tackling inequalities in access to justice.
UNESCO, as a knowledge partner supported by the European Union, played a key role in discussions on "Artificial Intelligence, the Digital Frontier and Women's Rights." Through its AI and the Rule of Law Programme, UNESCO highlighted AI's potential to improve access to justice and the risks posed when human rights safeguards are absent. Its Social Media 4 Peace Project also shared the Judicial Handbook on Countering Harmful Online Content, which provides a human rights framework for addressing hate speech, disinformation, and other harmful content while protecting freedom of expression.
UNESCO presented tools to help courts navigate the AI landscape, including the Guidelines for the Use of AI in Courts and Tribunals and an online course on AI, Justice, and the Rule of Law developed with the University of Oxford. This course features a module on AI and Women's Rights, designed to help judges identify algorithmic bias, assess AI-generated evidence, and apply human rights principles in judicial decisions. UNESCO's Global Judges Initiative has trained over 38,000 judicial operators in more than 160 countries to strengthen responsible AI governance.
A key outcome was the adoption of the Johannesburg Declaration, committing African judiciaries to strong human oversight, transparency, and accountability in AI systems. The declaration calls for promoting judicial education, improving digital literacy, and developing survivor-centered digital justice tools, reinforcing the goal for AI to support—rather than undermine—human rights and gender equality in justice systems.