Constitutions and peace processes

Constitutional issues lie at the heart of many intra-state conflicts. In widely differing circumstances, constitutional issues played a dominant role in peace processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, the Central African Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nepal and South Africa, among many other parts of the world.

And yet, mediators and constitution makers seldomly acknowledge the obvious link between peace processes and “constitution making”. There is much need for dialogue on this link, with questions such as: What are the ways in which constitutional issues may arise at different stages of a peace process? What are the pressing challenges when constitutional change for the long term is undertaken in a peace process, including those regarding its timing, progression, scale and design?

The Berghof Foundation and the UN Mediation Support Unit would like to invite you to an online event including a panel discussion among renowned mediation and constitution experts on the above questions and much more, and the launch of the publication Constitutions and Peace Processes: A Primer.