Constitutionalism

Constitution-making was a key area identified for collaborative action by civil society at the Harare Conference on Pan-Commonwealth Advocacy for Peace, Good Governance and Human Rights held by the CHRI in Harare in January 1999.

Constitution-making was seen as so important because it is a key way in which citizens can participate in governance. For this reason CHRI's advocacy focuses on the participatory aspects of the process, with an aim towards finding strategies for deepening democracy. To take two extraordinary examples, the South African and Uganda experiences proved that citizen input can have serious impact in making and reforming constitutions into democratic documents that can be said to truly belong to the people.

In August 1999 CHRI convened a working group in Pretoria, South Africa to develop a position paper in best practices in constitution-making. A series of recommendations and a background paper was circulated for comments from the wider human rights community. It was submitted to the Heads at the 1999 CHOGM and incorporated into a SADC initiative to provide technical assistance in constitutionalism in Southern Africa.