Family and Natural Law Are the Pillars of Free Nations. Jerzy Kwaśniewski's Speech in Nairobi

Ordo Iuris

• In Nairobi, the 2nd Pan-African Conference on Family Values is taking place with the participation of representatives from Ordo Iuris.

• During the event, lawyer Jerzy Kwaśniewski, the president of the Ordo Iuris Institute, spoke.

• He pointed out the need to protect natural law, human dignity, and state sovereignty. He emphasized that family values are currently under global attack, and national communities must unite in their defense.

READ KWAŚNIEWSKI’S FULL SPEECH HERE

The Second Pan-African Conference on Family Values is organized by the African Christian Professionals Forum. Among the speakers at the event taking place in the capital of Kenya are the president of Ordo Iuris, advocate Jerzy Kwaśniewski, and board member of the Institute, advocate Rafał Dorosiński. In his speech, Jerzy Kwaśniewski pointed out the problems caused in the modern world by the promotion by international organizations of attitudes hostile to life and family, and he called for unity in defending these values. 

He began by pointing out that the modern world is moving away from the foundation upon which civilization is based, namely natural law recognizing the immutable dignity of the human person and the role of the family as the basic social unit. In his opinion, these foundations are systematically undermined by influential ideological forces promoting relativism and the deconstruction of classical concepts.

“We trust in societies that construct their laws and institutions based on reason and natural law—laws that uphold the dignity and worth of the human person,” Jerzy Kwaśniewski said, opening his speech. 

“The struggle for the soul of nations is a noble one—a fight not merely for laws or policies, but for the very essence of human dignity and moral order. History records that civilizations that heed the call of divine and natural law endure; those that forsake it risk their very existence,” he added

The Polish lawyer also warned against the increasing influence of ideologies promoted by international organizations such as the UN or certain European Union agencies. He criticized them for imposing “progressive” values on the global South (including African countries), often in conflict with local traditions, culture, and religion. He pointed out the hypocrisy and double standards, where developed countries expect developing countries to adhere to a specific ideological agenda in exchange for developmental aid. 

“ The global push for acceptance of same-sex marriage, gender fluidity, and related policies are not merely social issues—they are part of a strategic movement to redefine societal norms at a fundamental level, often through subtle yet pervasive legal and cultural pressures,” Kwaśniewski said, calling on Africans to join the global faight against the Left’s agenda: “We need African NGOs to be present in the UN and the EU. We need them to file written statements and take part in reporting, we need them to participate in sessions on CSE, family and SRHR, where the most radical, global social engineering is planned and implemented to international soft law of standards, resolutions, and expert committees. We need African experts to present their amicus curiae briefs to international courts and tribunals, where globally agreed soft law becomes a binding obligation of the states. Those spheres of involvement were for decades dominated by liberal, globalist elites. Today, we may bring more balance to the force.”

The President of Ordo Iuris also appealed to the idea of solidarity among nations resisting ideological dictates. He reminded that both Central Europe (including Poland) and many African countries have similar experiences of fighting for sovereignty, values, and identity. Common challenges should, in his opinion, lead to the formation of a global coalition in defense of natural law.

“We all experience this elitist, liberal division that has been exploited to justify intervention, domination, and neo-colonial control over developing nations or ‘new democracies.’ The idea was to confine the scope of international law within the bounds of old-Western-defined norms, often disregarding the moral, cultural, and religious realities of peoples not shaped by the Western Enlightenment and liberal revolution,” he argued. 

Jerzy Kwaśniewski presented a three-stage action plan for defenders of traditional values: resistance, regaining the initiative, and building resilience. In his view, only coordinated, international actions can ensure effective protection of family and freedoms from global ideological pressures.

At the conclusion of the speech, the president of Ordo Iuris called on the conference participants – social, political, and religious leaders – to be courageous in defending the truth and to unite their efforts towards a future based on the inviolable dignity of the human being, family, and freedom of conscience.

“ The battle ahead is arduous, but it is righteous. Our voices, united in purpose, will echo for generations to come as a testament to our commitment to uphold the sacred truths that have guided humanity for centuries. There are more of us than they say.”

During the conference, the Ordo Iuris Institute presented a guide on advocacy conducted by non-governmental organizations in international forums and before international courts and tribunals. The publication was presented in Polish, English, French, and Swahili.