DPI held an online roundtable entitled ‘The Legal Basis for Peace: Constitution Making in Polarised Societies’ on 10 August. The online roundtable is part of a series of meetings which aim to explore the debates on constitution making processes in polarised societies, different comparative study cases in practice, as well as create a platform for dialogue to discuss existing constitution drafts in Turkey and possible legal preparations for a future peace process.
The even brought as key speaker Albie Sachs, former Judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Albie Sachs talked about the conditions and motivations behind the drafting of the South African Bill of Rights, and the role that constitution-making has played in South Africa’s peace process and post-conflict.
Participants comprised a diverse group, including academics, civil society figures, human rights associations members, lawyers, policy makers, professors, and senior political figures responsible for legal and human rights issues from different political parties in Turkey. During the course of the event, participants were given the opportunity to discuss the role of constitution-making process in South Africa in promoting peace and equality, and explore the legal preparations needed for the possible resumption of a resolution process in Turkey.
The online RT forms part of a larger series of activities planned in the context of the project: “Forging Pathways to Peace and Democracy in Turkey”, supported by the Norwegian and Irish government.