Sri Lanka’s second Republican Constitution was adopted in 1978 and endured decades of protracted civil war. Since the cessation of the war, legal developments have been shaped by the legacy of the conflict. In 2015, the Sri Lankan Government adopted an ambitious constitutional reform agenda to bring about social and democratic transformation. A Constitutional Assembly has been established to facilitate deliberations and the drafting of the new constitution, following extensive public consultations.

The Max Planck Foundation aims to support current efforts to identify the most appropriate constitutional system and provisions for the new constitution. To this end, the Foundation is preparing comparative research on relevant constitutional topics, identifying solutions in modern constitutional design, as well as on solutions tailored to the needs and circumstances of the country.

The aim of this project is to empower the Constitutional Assembly of Sri Lanka by providing support and expertise through the development of in-depth, comparative research on constitutional topics. It aims to advance the knowledge of Sri Lankan experts to support local ownership of the ongoing process. As a result of this project, the Sri Lankan Constitutional Assembly will be further informed of the best practices and lessons learnt from the experience of other countries to determine the most appropriate model for the new constitution of Sri Lanka.

1 April 2017 – 30 June 2018

• to be confirmed

Johannes Krusemark-Camin

Email: Phone: +49 (0)6221 91404 23 (See full profile)