SINGAPORE – The world is seeing a greater violation of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly with regard to occupation, annexation and the failure to protect citizens in conflict zones, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Sept 7.

The rule of law has also weakened for nearly three-quarters of the world’s population, Mr Tharman noted, citing statistics from the non-profit World Justice Project.

Such “justice gaps” of this scale undermine stability and breed cynicism and will only accentuate the broader corrosion of trust in public institutions seen globally, he said.

He was speaking at the opening of the 30th Annual Conference and General Meeting of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), an industry gathering of prosecutors from around the world.

Mr Tharman said that when institutions lose legitimacy and citizens lose faith in the fairness of the system, societies become more polarised and could even fracture.

Yet, despite the importance of prosecutors in advancing the rule of law, many of them are facing new challenges in confronting the business of crime.

“Chief among them is the rise of cybercrime, transnational crime and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to power both,” Mr Tharman said.

He urged the community to share intelligence and cooperate in efforts to master new technologies. 

Prosecutors can fight this battle only with their own capabilities enhanced, and with proactive cooperation across borders, Mr Tharman said. “It is the only way we will succeed in bringing these criminals to justice.” 

Despite geopolitical turbulence and a loss of faith in multilateralism, international rules and organisations have endured and kept the global system functioning in the areas of civil aviation, maritime navigation, telecommunications and postal services. 

“When enough nations commit to a common set of rules, the rules b...