Constitutional Transformations: New Blog Series in the Lead-up to the World Congress of Constitutional Law

For the first time, the World Congress of Constitutional Law will be held in Africa, in the vibrant city of Johannesburg. The start of the conference is only six months away.

South Africa has been a beacon of hope: showing how a country can move towards a constitutional democracy after a brutal, unjust past of systematic discrimination and prejudice. Since the advent of constitutionalism – in the past 25 years – South Africa has faced a range of crises: from a significant spread of HIV/AIDs, to a concerted attempt to utilise state resources to enrich the pockets of corrupt politicians, imperiling the fragile state.

Constitutionalism has been central in responding to these challenges – the socio-economic rights included in the Constitution provided a strong basis upon which to require government treatment for HIV/AIDS; and institutions created in the Constitution – such as the Public Protector (ombudsperson) and Constitutional Court – continue to offer strong sites of resistance to widespread corruption.

This setting – with both challenges and much promise – provides the perfect backdrop against which to engage in detailed academic engagements about constitutionalism across the world. After two years of limited face-to-face engagement between scholars due to COVID-19, it is time to come together once again.

We are happy to report that there has been an unprecedented interest in attending the conference. Our 33 workshops have received a tremendous response in the first phase of abstract submissions and we already have hundreds of registrations.

We are on track to have a record attendance and invite those who not yet submitted an abstract to do so – this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to present one’s own work, and interact with colleagues from around the world. Our plenary presentations will offer an opportunity to listen to and interact with some of the leading  constitutionalists. Submission of abstracts for Phase 2 will close at the end of June 2022 with decisions communicated by the end of July – allowing ample time to plan your trip. We will have a welcome function at the historic Constitution Hill with tours of the iconic South African Constitutional Court. We also offer multiple further opportunities to travel around South Africa before or after the Congress.

In the run-up to the World Congress, we wanted to present a small foretaste of the brilliant thinking that will be in evidence at the Congress. We will feature some of our wonderful plenary speakers (whose biographies can be seen here) as well as members of the Programme Commission and some members of the Executive Committee of the IACL who have constructed the programme. Our theme for the conference is ‘Constitutional Transformations’. We know we are living in a volatile world and our theme will enable us to engage many current challenges – from climate change, the role of technology to populism.

Fittingly, to start our series for the first Congress being held in Africa, we have a contribution by Professor Charles Fombad, one of the leading Professors of Constitutional Law on the African continent, based at the University of Pretoria. Professor Fombad is a prominent member of the Programme Commission and has provided strong support to the Congress.

He writes about the wave of unconstitutional changes of government in Africa – no doubt a topic of grave concern to all constitutionalists. Prof Fombad’s contribution will be followed by a contribution in French on a similar topic by the esteemed jurist Judge Oumarou Narey from Niger.

This series is a collaboration between two blogs. The IACL-AIDC Blog - a project of the International Association of Constitutional Law – is an inclusive and user-friendly forum for scholars and practitioners from across the globe to discuss pressing issues in constitutional law. African Law Matters is a new blog formed to foster inclusive and accessible conversations on constitutionalism and fundamental rights with a particular focus on issues of importance to the African continent. 

We look forward to a fascinating series of blogs and hope you enjoy a taste of the forthcoming World Congress. Please join us in Johannesburg from 5-9 December 2022 – see our website for submission of abstracts and registration (https://wccl.co.za/) and a reminder to submit your abstract in Phase 2 by the end of June 2022.