South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO) recently held a one-day symposium aimed at disseminating the contents of the 2022 Constitutional Making Process Act, as well as facilitating public consultations and civic education.
This project, which is being implemented in the Greater Equatoria region with a budget of 60,000 United States dollars, will span five months across Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, and Western Equatoria states.
Wodcan Saviour Lazarus, Executive Director of SPIDO, stated that the Constitutional Making Process Act of 2022 provides opportunities for various stakeholders to engage with people at the grassroots level in the process.
“We are disseminating information about the constitution-making process and intend to gather thousands of people, including livestreaming for the diaspora, to gather their opinions so they can participate in crafting a democratic constitution,” Lazarus said on Tuesday during the opening of the symposium in Torit.
“The Constitution Making Process is a guarantee for peace and security in the country. We aim to collect views to create a constitution that reflects the will of the people of South Sudan,” Lazarus added.
George Kadimba, the focal person for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Torit, remarked that the symposium serves to conduct civic education and public consultations, with the goal of incorporating people’s views into the permanent constitution-making process.
Kadimba commended SPIDO for leading the dissemination of the Constitutional Making Process, noting that feedback collected from the subnational level will facilitate the creation of a permanent constitution.
“It is essential to conduct symposiums, public consultations, and civic education to inform the public about constitutional issues so that they can make informed decisions,” Kadimba stated.
Matthew Ugwak, chairperson of the peace commission in Eastern Equatoria state, emphasised that the constitution-making process requires all sectors of South Sudanese society to express their views.
“The people of South Sudan will first undergo civic education and nationwide public consultations, during which the views of the people will be gathered to form the basis of the constitutional draft text,” Ugwak explained.
“The insights collected at the grassroots level by civil society organisations will facilitate the Constitution Review Commission in presenting and articulating these views in the constitutional text,” he added.
The event in Torit was attended by various stakeholders, including officials from the Ministry of Peace Building, local government, youth and sports, as well as representatives from the bar association, faith-based groups, and women and traditional leaders.
The dissemination project for the Constitutional Making Process Act of 2022, spearheaded by SPIDO, is funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under its Access to Justice, Security, and Human Rights Strengthening Programme.
