AGC Press Release - Singapore Hosts Commonwealth Legislative Drafters Conference For The First Time

Over 200 delegates from over 40 jurisdictions across the Commonwealth and beyond have gathered in Singapore to attend the 2026 Conference of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel (“CALC”), hosted by the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore (“AGC”) from 15 to 17 July 2026. The delegates include legislative drafters from national and regional drafting offices, judges and government legal advisers. This marks the first time a CALC Conference is being held in Singapore.

The Conference theme is “Legislating in a Changing World”. The topics to be discussed at the Conference include the use of AI tools by drafting offices, effective management of government legislative pipelines, drafting legislation to support digital decision-making, balancing democratic accountability and legislative agility, and professional ethics.

In his keynote address, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Mr Edwin Tong SC said: “The world today – with its challenges of deepfakes and misinformation, of algorithms that inflame and divide, of criminal networks deploying AI at scale – does not stand still. Laws must change to meet the needs of the society they serve.” He added, “Legislative drafters have always had the task of understanding the society they serve and translating that understanding into law. Today, this task demands an even deeper understanding of the communities we serve.”

Mr Lucien Wong, Attorney-General of Singapore, said: “We are meeting at a time of profound change in the world: demographic changes, changes in technology, changes to the international order, changes to our natural environment. Our laws must keep up with these changes, while remaining clear, accessible, and faithful to foundational principles of responsible government and the rule of law. As guardians of the Statute Book, law drafters have an indispensable role to play in how each of our legal systems adapt to a changing world.”

Justice Dr. Johnson Okello, President of CALC, said: “This is our premier conference which drafters always look forward to. My thanks to the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Government of Singapore for hosting this conference and putting together a very rich programme for the next two and a half days. It is a profound privilege to gather with great legal minds, policymakers, law reformers and legislative counsel – those who turn policies into laws that govern our society. That is the essence of legislative drafting.”  

Established in 1983, CALC seeks to promote cooperation across the Commonwealth on legislative drafting and related fields of work. AGC provides law drafting, law publication and legislative consultancy services to the Singapore Government and public sector agencies, and legislative drafters in AGC are full members of CALC.

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