Constitution Building for Democracy - A capacity-building workshop

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and the Non-Aligned Movement Centre for South-South Technical Cooperation (NAM-CSSTC) are collaborating to jointly offer a capacity-building workshop on 'Constitution Building for Democracy' in Bali, Indonesia, 2 - 6 July 2012. The course is open to individuals from ASEAN member countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), Chile, Cuba, South Africa and Timor Leste.

Objectives: This course is aimed at professionals interested in developing their knowledge on how constitution building practices influence the protection of political and other rights and liberties as a means to building democracies that resolve conflicts peacefully. Participants will be individuals working in political and technical aspects of democratic reform and conflict management within a range of national institutions and organizations. The interactive methodology aims, through exercises and case studies, to ground the normative aspects into practical realities so that participants of the training will be able to benefit from each others’ experiences and:

• Improve their understanding of and engagement in constitution building processes
• Be able to identify viable constitution building practices that are suited in their own contexts or the contexts in which they work
• Have broader options on how to bridge the sociological divisions on human rights issues
• Use constitution building to solve some of the challenges of building a sustainable democracy

Constitutions do much more than establish government and regulate its relationship to citizens – for many states, they have become tools to manage crisis and conflict, build inclusive democracies and lay the foundation for a culture of human rights. Constitution building is a political process aimed at addressing the challenges that modern democracies are facing.

Constitutional reform has become a characteristic part of intrastate conflict resolution, peace building, democratic reform and equitable economic development. National stakeholders and international professionals who work in these fields must have a competent understanding of the process of constitution building, the challenges and constraints during these processes as well as the realistic opportunities for political and social transformation. This course will address what kind of practices will help citizens, leaders and their supporters build democratic, sustainable constitutions.

If you are interested to apply, please submit your application form to Jenny Isberg at j.isberg@idea.int on or before 8 June 2012.