Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says there are many new areas of law developing which lawyers are not up to speed with.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum mentioned this when speaking at the Fiji Law Society and International Bar Association Convention 2021 at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa in Denarau, Nadi on Friday.

He said this was because lawyers didn’t see the development of the new areas of law as a traditional legal practice.

“There are so many new areas of law that are developing and I’m afraid many lawyers aren’t up to speed with it because they don’t traditionally see it as tradition legal practice,” said Mr Sayed-Khaiyum.

Climate Change Bill

“One of them is Climate Change. We have got a Climate Change Bill coming into play very soon.”

He said Fiji was the right place for carbon market trading.

“Carbon market is big business and Fiji is right for carbon market trading. In the Climate Change Bill there is actually a provision regarding carbon markets,” he said.

“How many actually know about it, how many actually read the Bill, there has been public submissions, there is still public submissions?

“We are doing a second round of redrafting of the Climate Change Bill. We are going to do a lot of work in that area, I urge you to look at carbon-trading.”

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said there was also a blue carbon market where currently a blue carbon bond was being issued.

He added by the end of this year, secondary market trading will begin.

New reality

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum also said the legal fraternity must reckon with the new reality and determine whether it fits in the new norm.

“Even in the best case scenario anything like the normal we once knew is many months away and whether it is business interruptions, law firm management or new areas of post pandemic practice, the legal fraternity must reckon with the new reality and determine whether it fits in the new norm, how you remodel yourself and how you run your practice in the post COVID-19 economy,” said Mr Sayed-Khaiyum.

“Very few countries in the world at the moment can do what we are doing currently and that we are not suffering from a massive outbreak.

“We aren’t meeting virtually, of course. Some people are joining us virtually, but all of you aren’t meeting virtually, you are not wearing any masks nor are you mandated to wear any masks.”

He said Fiji has been a COVID-contained county for about 260 days now.

“Unlike other Pacific Island countries which claim to never have had any community outbreak of the coronavirus, Fiji actually did have an actual outbreak despite the initial criticism of seemingly unnecessary stringent measures and a few unfounded legal challenges we actually contained that outbreak through a decisive national effort and we have since continued to safely repatriate Fijians from all over the globe without risking public transmission in the community itself,” he said.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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