Official Handover of Second Volume of the South Sudan Law Reports

2012 Volume of the South Sudan Law Reports delivered to the Judiciary of South Sudan

On 1 July 2021, the Max Planck Foundation and the European Union Delegation to South Sudan officially handed over a consignment of 600 copies of the 2012 Volume of the South Sudan Law Reports to the Chief Justice of South Sudan. This collection of all the civil, criminal and constitutional judgments passed by the Supreme Court in 2012 is the second published comprehensive law report in the country. The volume continues the tireless efforts of the Technical Bureau and Editorial Board of the Judiciary of South Sudan, with the technical and legal support of the Foundation, to publish the judgments of the Supreme Court of South Sudan since the country’s independence.

At the ceremony, the Head of the European Union Delegation to South Sudan, HE Ambassador Christian Bader, emphasised the importance of these Law Reports in the promotion of the rule of law in the country. He noted that the Law Reports of South Sudan will be a goldmine of information, not only for lawyers and judges, but also for anthropologists and sociologists, both in South Sudan and across the region. Ambassador Bader lauded the work of the Judiciary of South Sudan, stating that its activities are essential to the promotion of justice, peace and security in the country. He reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to continue its support to the publication of the Law Reports in South Sudan through the professional technical and legal assistance of the Foundation.

In the presence of the Chief Justice and several Supreme Court Justices, the Head of Subsaharan Africa Operations of the Foundation further underlined the importance of Law Reports in allowing for the strengthening of an independent and respected judiciary, the cohesion of judgements and judicial systems, and for the public to gain a fuller understanding of the legal system under which their country operates. She also emphasised that the Law Reports constituted a historical legal record for the benefit of future generations and were thereby becoming a window into South Sudan’s society for posterity.

Following this handover, the Foundation will continue to work closely with the Editorial Board of the Judiciary of South Sudan in publishing all volumes of the Law Reports of South Sudan up until the present date.

The publication of the 2012 Law Report of South Sudan was completed with the assistance of the Foundation and the generous financial support of the European Union within the framework of the project entitled Strengthening the Rule of Law in South Sudan.