MEETING OF THE ASIAN ASSOCIATION WAS HELD

On August 26, 2021, chaired by the Chairman of the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan Kairat Mami, the Board of Members Meeting of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions was held by videoconference. The Meeting was attended by delegations of constitutional justice bodies of Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The Secretary General of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice Mr. Schnutz Durr and the Acting President of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts, President of the Constitutional Court of Moldova Ms. Domnica Manole participated as guests.

Opening the event, the Chairman of the Association Kairat Mami noted that the two-year Presidency of the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan in the Association had come at a difficult time in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. However, despite the difficulties, the Association, thanks to the united work of its members, had strengthened its position as a regional organization bringing together the efforts of its members in the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

A new member was admitted to the Association - the Constitutional Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which became its twentieth member.

A separate session was devoted to the participation of the Association in the upcoming V Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which is scheduled for 2022 in Indonesia. Representatives of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia informed about the preparations for this international event.

At the Meeting, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Asian Association and the Conference of European Constitutional Courts. The latter was established in 1972 and unites more than forty constitutional courts of European countries.

The Permanent Secretariats of the Association - the Secretariat for Planning and Coordination (Indonesia), the Secretariat for Research and Development (Korea) and the Center for Training and Human Resource Development (Turkey) informed colleagues about the work done.

This year, the Constitutional Council transfers the mission of Presidency to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Mongolia. The ceremony of handing over the flag of the Association will take place during the International Symposium on the topic “The Internet Era: The Rule of Law, the Values of Person, the State Independence”, which is timed to the 30th anniversary of the Independence and the Constitution Day of Kazakhstan. The forum will be held on August 27 in Nur-Sultan online.

In conclusion, all members of the Association expressed support to the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan in holding an International Symposium. In their opinion, the Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss the most relevant issues related to the influence of modern technologies on legal development and ensuring the sovereignty of states in the global world.

The Asian Association was established in 2010 as a regional forum for Asian constitutional justice bodies. Currently, 20 states participate in the Association. Last year, the IV Congress of the Association was held in the capital of Kazakhstan, following which the Nur-Sultan Declaration was adopted.