Part of a series of workshops with key actors in the Sudanese Constitutional Reform
From 8 – 11 February 2021, the Max Planck Foundation had invited Sudanese stakeholders representing key actors within the constitutional reform in Sudan to discuss concrete constitutional drafting options for the envisaged new Sudanese Constitution to continue the Foundation’s previous support to the Sudanese Republic’s endeavours to write a new constitution.
The workshop was opened by Michael Sonntag, Chargé d’Affaires of the German Embassy in Khartoum, and Dr Tariq Magzoub, Head of the Department of Constitutionalism and Research at the Sudanese Ministry of Justice, in Khartoum and Professor Rüdiger Wolfrum, the Foundation’s Head of Project, in Heidelberg. Sudanese participants convened in Khartoum, whilst Foundation staff joined online from Germany to facilitate the different sessions. In the final session, Dr Lasia Bloss from the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin made the closing address congratulating not only on the successful and fruitful discussions during the event but also on the achievements of the Sudanese to date, which encouraged them to continue working towards a prosperous future.
During the four-day workshop, the Foundation made in-depth discussions on the drafting options for a future Sudanese Constitution with the participants. Thematically, the focus was on decentralisation and federalism. As in previous workshops, discussions were based on a variety of draft constitutional provisions to further engage in public discourse on constitutional matters and prepare for future deliberations on a permanent constitution in Sudan. Beyond also the provisions of the recently signed peace agreements and peacebuilding measures were also addressed in detail.
In accordance with the Foundation’s guiding principles, the event was distinctly aimed at providing a neutral forum for technical discussions on the wide range of representative viewpoints regarding the inclusive constitutional reform process in Sudan. The workshop allocated specific sessions for discussions allowing ample opportunity for participants to share their views.
The new format of the workshop allowed the audience to actively engage with each other and successfully continue the discussions on constitutional reform. This activity was part of the project entitled “Constitutional Reform in Sudan” kindly funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. Until travel to Sudan is viable again, the Foundation intends to continue with the online implementation of project activities.