INTERNATIONAL ONLINE SUMMIT SPEAKERS

THE NEED FOR A NEW WORLD ORDER BASED ON JUSTICE AND PEACE

Advocate Tobias Barnard

Former South African Magistrate, Supreme Court Prosecutor, Principal State Law Adviser and Chief Provincial Law Adviser of KwaZulu-Natal during the transition period in South Africa from an Apartheid system of government to a Constitutional Democracy. During this period, Advocate Barnard visited several countries to investigate certain aspects of a Bill of Rights for South Africa to be included in the South African Constitution, as well as the establishment of a Constitutional Court for South Africa. In the process, in-depth discussions were held with high-profile academics, the Human Rights Commission, and Constitutional Court Judges of Belgium in Brussels and Germany in Karlsruhe. With his extensive experience in Constitutional affairs, Advocate Barnard played a significant role in the transition from an apartheid system of government in South Africa to a Constitutional Democracy.

Regarding Advocate Barnard’s court experience, it should be noted that his prosecuting career commenced in 1971, and at the young age of 26, he was already appointed as a magistrate – probably the youngest ever to be appointed as a Magistrate in South Africa. As a Magistrate, Advocate Barnard presided over both criminal and civil cases until his appointment as a Supreme Court Prosecutor in 1982. In that capacity, he appeared in high-profile cases, including appeals in the then Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (now known as the Supreme Court of Appeal). It is estimated that as a Prosecutor, Advocate Barnard appeared in more than 20,000 court cases, and it should be noted that none of his judgments as a Magistrate was ever set aside on appeal in the Supreme Court.

In addition to the above, Advocate Barnard was a former Chairman of the Board of Governors of Treverton College, one of the top private schools in South Africa. 

Professor E.B. Gueguim Kana

A distinguished academic at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is an expert in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in biotechnology and bioengineering. Currently serving as a Professor in the School of Life Sciences, he is also the Academic Leader for Research and Higher Degrees. His career in academia spans over two decades, advancing to senior positions, and attaining his current professorship in 2019.

Professor Kana has made significant contributions to biotechnology and bioengineering, particularly in the use of AI for process optimization and environmental sustainability. His research focuses on leveraging AI and machine learning to enhance bioprocess efficiency, improve biofuel production, and develop sustainable solutions for bioenergy. He has published over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, with one paper on AI-enhanced biofuel production being referenced more than 200 times.

His numerous accolades include the National Award of Outstanding Contribution in Biotechnology from the National University Commission (NUC) in Nigeria, multiple grants from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, and the Distinguished Teacher Award from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Professor Kana’s research impact is further evidenced by his Google Scholar h-index of 46, with more than 5600 citations, reflecting the high relevance and influence of his work.

In addition to his research, Professor Kana has been instrumental in mentoring the next generation of scientists, having supervised numerous PhD and MSc students to completion. He has also hosted four postdoctoral fellows, contributing to the development of future leaders in biotechnology and AI.

Professor Kana’s expertise and insights into AI’s role in enhancing transparency and sustainable development will be invaluable in addressing current global challenges and promoting a more equitable and peaceful world order.

Professor Mark D Laing

Professor Laing is an Emeritus Professor in Plant Pathology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. As Director of the ACCI (African Centre for Crop Improvement) from 2001 to 2022, he founded this centre in 2001 to train PhD students in Plant Breeding, funded largely by the Rockefeller and Gates Foundations. 123 PhD and 13 MSc students have graduated from the ACCI, from 20 countries in Africa, working on 20 food crops.

The ACCI program is ongoing, with diversified funding sources. WACCI and EACCI have been established in Accra, Ghana, and Kampala, Uganda to service West and East Africa, respectively, based on the ACCI model. Professor Laing is co-founder of Plant Health Products (PHP) CC in 1999, together with Dr. Mike Morris, to commercialize biocontrol agents. The company is now a subsidiary of Andermatt Biocontrol BV, Switzerland, which sells biocontrol globally. Professor Laing is also co-founder of Frequai (Pty) Ltd (Australia) in 2023. This company seeks to develop a software solution to near-infra-red analysis for the rapid and accurate measurement of organic molecules, using novel equipment and radically different software solutions. Professor Laing has no less than 441 research items and publications listed in ResearchGate, including 376 published in peer-reviewed journals or books.

ResearchGate lists his Research Interest Score: 6,331; Citations: 6,836 with an h-index of 43. Professor Laing furthermore co-founded the international society for Silicon in Agriculture, including drafting their constitution and running their fourth international conference. Professor Laing has considerable interest in the global climate crisis and gives lectures on the topic to professional scientific societies, environmental groups, and many others. He is Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Mowana NPC. This non-profit company manages 6 facilities for retired people in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa.

Professor Martin Prozesky

Emeritus Professor Martin Prozesky is a South African scholar working on ethics and religion. He studied theology at Rhodes University, Oxford and the former Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a doctorate on Friedrich Schleiermacher. He has been a visiting scholar at universities in South Africa, the USA, at Trinity College, Oxford, and in Australia. The author of six previous books, he is currently completing a set of three books about an ethical faith for questing souls. He held academic posts at Rhodes University, the former University of Rhodesia, and at the University of Natal in South Africa, now renamed the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he founded and directed its Ethics Centre.

Professor George Edwin Devenish

Professor Devenish is an Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Associate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and holds a BSc degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, an LLB degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA), an LLD degree from UNISA and a second unsupervised doctorate (LLD) from the University of Natal for his published works.  He has extensive experience as an academic and was already appointed as an Associate Professor in 1981 at UNIBO (now part of the University of the North-West) and was subsequently promoted to a full chair in 1983.  Professor Devenish thereafter moved to the University of Natal and in 1989 was promoted to the chair of Professor of Public Law.  In 1992 his book on The Interpretation of Statutes was published by Juta & Co and was well received.  In 1998 and 1999 Butterworths published his second and third respectively books entitled A Commentary on the South African Constitution and A  Commentary on the South African Bill of Rights.  In 2000 his last mentioned book was awarded the University book prize and the national Altron prize awarded by the Committee of University Principals in South Africa.  In 2001, Professor Devenish co-authored a book entitled Administrative Law and Justice in South Africa which was published by Butterworths. In 2001 Butterworths published Professor Devenish’s fifth book entitled The South African Constitution. 

In 1992, Professor Devenish was appointed as a political and constitutional adviser to working group 2 of Codesa which formulated the Constitutional Principles for the Interim Constitution, and in 1993 was appointed to the Technical Committee on Constitutional issues that drafted this Constitution.  Professor Devenish was therefore one of the eight scholars involved in drafting the South African Interim Constitution of 1993. 

In 2013 the University of KwaZulu-Natal appointed Professor Devenish as Emeritus Professor.  Furthermore, Professor Devenish recently completed writing a second edition of his book on interpretation of law entitled, Devenish on Interpretation: Statutory Interpretation which was published by Juta & Co during June 2024.  This book has been described by another legal expert as “an exemplary presentation of the subject that is the most up-to-date and comprehensive resource on the interpretation of statutes – an invaluable resource for lawyers and practitioners”.