The Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa

The Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa

About

On 7-8 May 2011, the Constitutional Courts/Councils and equivalent institutions in Africa held “the Constitutive Congress of the African Area of Constitutional Justice” in Algiers, Algeria. During the Constitutive Congress, the participants examined and adopted “the Statute of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa” and proceeded to the election of the first Executive Bureau and the Secretary General of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa (CJCA). The CJCA was thereby established and the headquarters of the general secretariat was set in Algiers.

The CJCA holds a Congress every two years. Since its establishment, seven Congresses have been held respectively in Algiers/Algeria (2011), Cotonou/Benin (2013), Libreville/Gabon (2015), Cape Town/South Africa (2017), Luanda/Angola (2019), Rabat/Morocco (2022) and Victoria Falls/Zimbabwe (2024). The Democratic Republic of the Congo will host the 8^th Congress of the CJCA in 2026.

In order to promote constitutional justice in Africa and to promote the exchange of experiences, the CJCA holds an international seminar between two Congresses. The first seminar took place in Cotonou, Benin in 2013 on the theme “The Constitutional Judge and the Political Power”. The second seminar was held in Algiers, Algeria in 2017 on the theme “The Access of Individuals to Constitutional Justice”. The third seminar was held in Maputo, Mozambique in October 2021 on the theme “Election Process: Transparency, Inclusion and Integrity”.

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye acquired the status of observer to the CJCA on 5 October 2017.

7^th Congress of the CJCA

The 7^th Congress of the CJCA on “Human Dignity as a Fundamental Value and Principle: A Source of Constitutional Interpretation, Protection of Fundamental Human Rights and Application” was held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe from 30 October to 3 November 2024.

President of the Constitutional Court Mr. Kadir Özkaya participated in the Congress representing the Turkish Constitutional Court. President Özkaya was accompanied by Deputy Secretary General Dr. Mücahit Aydın.

The first session of the Congress focused on “Human Dignity as a Fundamental Constitutional Value and Principle”.

In the second session themed “Human Dignity as a Fundamental Human Right and Freedom”, President Özkaya delivered a speech on “The Place and Importance of Human Dignity in Human Rights Jurisdiction”. In his remarks, President Özkaya noted that human dignity is globally recognised as an ethical and legal principle that ensures respect for all human beings and that the need to protect and promote it in times of both peace and war is also emphasised in international instruments.

Taking the floor at the Plenary Session held following the third session on “Human Dignity as a Source of Constitutional Interpretation”, President Özkaya expressed that the Turkish Constitutional Court would continue to participate in and support the works of the CJCA.

Click to access the official website of the CJCA.

Congresses

2022 – The 6^th Congress of the CJCA on “African Constitutional Courts and International Law” was held in Rabat, Morocco on 22-24 November 2022. In representation of Türkiye, Mr. Zühtü Arslan, the then President of the Turkish Constitutional Court, Mr. Yusuf Şevki Hakyemez, Member of the Constitutional Court, and Mr. Abdullah Tekbaş, Rapporteur-Judge of the Constitutional Court, participated in the Congress.

At the 3^rd session of the Congress, President of the Turkish Constitutional Court delivered a speech where he referred to the constitutional provisions concerning the status of the international treaties, as well as to the method applied by the Turkish Constitutional Court in interpreting and implementing the international human rights conventions.

2019 – The 5^th Congress of the CJCA was organized in Luanda, Angola on 9-13 June 2019. President of the Turkish Constitutional Court and the accompanying delegation participated in the Congress. The President delivered a speech titled “Role of the Turkish Constitutional Court in the Protection of Human Rights”.

Also addressing to the participants at the closing session on behalf of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions, President of the Turkish Constitutional Court pointed out the significant role of the cooperation between regional institutions and constitutional courts.

2017 – The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye was granted the status of observer to the CJCA on 5 October 2017.