South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The National Constitution Review Commission (NCRC), with the support of various partners, is set to launch nationwide civic education and public consultation campaigns for the permanent constitution-making process in three states and one administrative area.
The civic education and public consultation in the remaining seven states and two administrative areas will take place after the conclusion of public consultation in the identified states and administrative area.
Riang Yier Zuor, Chairperson of the NCRC, said that the commission has put in place all necessary procedural arrangements for civic education and public consultation.
“With the assistance of partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and UN Women, we have identified three states and one administrative area as starting points,” Zuor said during the opening of a symposium on the dissemination of the Constitutional Making Process Act 2022.
“Our current focus is on conducting nationwide civic education and public consultation campaigns. We must commence these activities; from this point forward, the public will be involved, and their views will shape the constitutional text,” he added.
The public consultation and dissemination of the Constitutional Making Process Act 2022, led by SPIDO, is funded by the UNDP under its Access to Justice, Security, and Human Rights Strengthening Programme.
Zuor explained that the purpose of civic education is to inform the public about the constitution-making process, emphasising that the process will be led by the people of South Sudan.
“This permanent constitution-making process differs from previous efforts, where the government, through a committee, drafted a constitutional text that was presented to parliament for approval,” he noted.
Yussef Auf, a constitutional law specialist for the UNDP’s Access to Justice, Security, and Human Rights Strengthening Programme, affirmed the UNDP’s commitment to supporting effective and accountable justice institutions in South Sudan.
“The civic education and public consultation aim to gather public opinions. The UNDP is dedicated to assisting in the establishment of a permanent constitution in South Sudan,” Auf stated.
Wodcan Savior Lazarus, Executive Director of the Support Peace Initiative Development Organization, remarked that the public consultation will be used to gather public opinions that will be incorporated into the permanent constitution.
“Under the 2005 interim constitution and the 2011 transitional constitution as amended, there was no democratic process. However, with this public consultation and awareness initiative, we will consult the people, and their views will be integrated into the constitution,” Lazarus said.
“If funding is delayed, it will impact the process of conducting elections. According to the revitalised peace agreement, it is the permanent constitution that will facilitate democratic elections. If funding is available, the constitution can be drafted before the elections,” he added.
In March 2025, the NCRC, in collaboration with partners, launched the public consultation process aimed at gathering public views for the creation of a permanent constitution.
