Max Planck Foundation conducts workshop on Comparative Constitutional Law in Khartoum, Sudan
In the second week of December 2015 the Max Planck Foundation conducted its fifth Workshop on “Models of Decentralisation: Potential Consequences for Wealth-Sharing and the Management of Diversity” for an inclusive group of representatives from political parties and stakeholders in Khartoum, Sudan. For the first time within the project, the Max Planck Foundation invited a higher-level representation with political secretaries and secretary-generals of the political parties as well as influential personalities within society and the various Sudanese regions.
The sessions used on the one hand a comparative legal approach to promote and encourage discussions about different options for constitutional arrangements in Sudan and on the other hand always focused on the Sudanese situation with presentations by Sudanese experts to ensure that the discussions were linked to the Sudanese context as well. Therefore, the Foundation implemented the workshop with the support of both renowned Sudanese experts and high-ranking international experts.
Following its guiding principles of neutrality and independence, the Max Planck Foundation succeeded in convening an inclusive group throughout the workshop with all major political parties being present as well as representatives of civil society and the regions representing the various political viewpoints and main ideas that exist in the Sudanese society regarding the future constitutional order in Sudan. The format of the workshop distinctly aimed at encouraging a collegial atmosphere for dialogue. During the workshop, the Max Planck Foundation further attempted to imbed a spirit of communication, trust and commitment among the participants towards a peaceful dialogue and constitutional process.
The overall project aims in the long run to support Sudan in its National Dialogue. The Foundation intends to provide legal support and assistance to the far-reaching National Dialogue in Sudan through capacity building measures for an inclusive group of actors. Individual project activities include discussions on the elements and structure of constitutional processes as well as the design of the constitutional content. Ultimately, a successful National Dialogue can only be achieved through cooperation between participants and an inclusive process. Project activities thus use a comparative legal approach to promote and encourage discussions about options for constitutional arrangements between the different interest groups. This requires building mutual trust on an on-going basis and increasing the confidence of participants in one another as well as the whole process through various activities, such as joint capacity building measures.
The Max Planck Foundation is implementing the project in Sudan since 2014 as a joint project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the European Union.