Jan Amilcar Schmidt

Since 1/2021 Head of Projects, Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law

6/2013 – 12/2020 Country Manager (Somalia), Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law, Heidelberg (Germany), Nairobi (Kenya) and Mogadishu (Somalia)

Since 6/2013 Research Fellow, Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law, Heidelberg (Germany), Nairobi (Kenya) and Mogadishu (Somalia)

1/2013–4/2013 Constitution Legal Adviser at the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), Nairobi (Kenya) and Mogadishu (Somalia)

11/2011–11/2012 Seconded Constitution Legal Adviser to the UNDP Somalia/UNPOS Joint Constitution Unit, Nairobi (Kenya)

12/2010–10/2011 Research Fellow Africa Projects at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Nairobi (Kenya)

9/2010–11/2010 Seconded Legal Consultant to the GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) Juba (South Sudan)

8/2008–8/2010 Research Fellow Africa Projects at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg (Germany)

4/2000–2/2008 Student Assistant and Research Fellow at the German Institute for Federal Studies, University of Hannover (Germany)

9/2007 Second State Examination in Law, Celle (Germany)

9/2005–8/2007 Civil and Judicial Training Programme, Celle and Speyer (Germany) and Nairobi (Kenya)

3/2005 First State Examination in Law, Hanover (Germany)

10/2002–3/2003 Dissertation for the Master of European Law on the topic “Devolution in the United Kingdom, a Federal Development?”, Hannover (Germany)

8/2001–6/2002 Research Studies of European Law at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (United Kingdom)

10/1999–3/2005 Studies of Law and European Law at the Leibniz University, Hanover (Germany)

10/1997–3/1999 Studies of History and Literature at the Martin-Luther University, Halle/Saale (Germany)

• Mission impossible? Opportunities and Limitations of Public Participation in Constitution-Making in a Failed State – the Case of Somalia, In: Abbiate, Tania/Böckenförde, Markus/Federico, Veronica (eds): Public Participation in African Constitutionalism. Routledge, 2018, pp 194-209.
  
• Representation of Component Federal Units in Federal Systems (last updated: May 2016). In: Grote, Rainer/Lachenmann, Frauke/Wolfrum, Rüdiger (eds), Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law. OUP, Oxford 2017–.
• Federal Developments and Increased Accountable Government Structures in Eastern Africa- A Critical Assessment. In: Ndulo/Muna, Gazibo/Mamoudou (eds): Growing Democracy in Africa: Elections, Accountable Governance, and Political Economy. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016, pp 184–198.
• Somalia unter seiner Übergangsverfassung von 2004. In: Scholz, Peter/Naeem, Naseef (eds): Jahrbuch für Verfassung, Recht und Staat im islamischen Kontext. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2011, pp 105–136.
• Somalia, Conflict (last updated: July 2013). In: Wolfrum, Rüdiger (ed): Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law. OUP, Oxford 2008–.

• 3-4 Dec. 2015 “Constitution Building in Political Settlement Processes: the Quest for Inclusion”, Second Workshop in the “Edinburgh Dialogues on Post-Conflict Constitution Building” Series, IDEA and University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom (Presentation)
• 20-31 Jul. 2015 Summer School on Constitution-Building in Africa, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary (Presentation)
• 20-21 Apr. 2012 “Elections, Accountability, and Democratic Governancein Africa”, annual symposium of the Institute for African Development at the Cornell University, NY (USA) (presentation)
• 7-11 Jan. 2012 “Constitutional Expert Forum” on options for a new Constitution for Somalia, conference organised by the UNDP Somalia/UNPOS Joint Constitution Unit (organisation, presentation and panel chair)
• 27-29 Nov. 2008 Federalism and Decentralisation – Options for Somalia, conference organised by UNDP Somalia (participation)