The Max Planck Foundation reviews, edits and prints key pieces of national legislation and legal forms for the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs with the financial support of the European Union
On 2 February 2023, the Max Planck Foundation, in cooperation with the European Union Delegation to South Sudan, officially handed over 20.000 copies of key national laws and legal forms to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of South Sudan. The handover ceremony was the culmination of five years of fruitful collaboration between the Foundation and the Directorate of Legislation, Gazette, Printing and Publication at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to ensure the review and editing of 24 national laws that had partly never been printed before, as well as 38 legal forms used for criminal procedures in the country. The printed and reprinted laws included key legislation such as the Penal Code Act, the Civil Registry Act, the Local Government Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Code of Evidence.
At the ceremony, H.E. Ambassador Timo Olkkonen, the Head of the European Union Delegation to South Sudan, expressed the EU’s satisfaction with the handover, noting that the project was part of the EU‘s and the Max Planck Foundation’s continued engagement with the Ministry of Justice to enhance the availability and access to important legal resources for the Ministry’s staff, governmental institutions and the general public at large. The Minister of Justice, the Right Honourable Justice Ruben Madol Arol, who received the copies on behalf of the Ministry, expressed his gratitude and stated that providing the Ministry with the essential legal materials is vital to the fulfilment of the Ministry’s mandate. The handover ceremony was also attended by the Honorable Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, Dr Gabriel Isaac Awow; the Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation, Mr Gabriel Leonte; the Head of the Directorate for Legislation, Gazette, Printing and Publication, Hon. Mary James Ajith as well as other Heads of Directorates of the Ministry of Justice.
Following the handover, the Foundation will continue working closely with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to provide technical legal support and capacity building in the framework of a newly initiated four-year support project funded by the EU. The printing of copies of national laws and legal forms was completed with the generous financial support of the European Union within the framework of the project entitled Strengthening the Rule of Law in South Sudan.