NCRC Launches Three-Day Federalism Workshop Amid Push for Permanent Constitution
By Oketayot Santo
The South Sudan National Constitutional Amendment Committee, through the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), on Wednesday launched a three-day workshop on federalism aimed at strengthening discussions around legislative, executive, and local government design as part of the country’s permanent constitution-making process.
The workshop, organized in partnership with the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law and supported by the European Union, brings together members of the NCRC, its secretariat, and constitutional experts to examine governance models relevant to South Sudan’s federal aspirations.
Speaking at the opening session, Dr. Kathrin Scherr, a Senior Legal Expert at the Max Planck Foundation, said the workshop is the fifth in a federalism series that began in September 2024. She noted that previous sessions focused on power sharing, fiscal devolution, wealth sharing, and constitutionalism, laying the groundwork for the current discussions.
“This workshop will deal with legislative and executive design, as well as the power and role of local government in federal systems,” Scherr said, adding that the goal is to allow participants to thoroughly explore governance options over the three days in support of the permanent constitution-making process.
Dr. Kathrin Scherr, a Senior Legal Expert at the Max Planck Foundation,
She praised the NCRC for conducting public consultations in eight of South Sudan’s ten states despite numerous challenges, describing the outreach as a remarkable achievement. According to Scherr, feedback from those consultations and from earlier workshops helped shape the agenda for the current session, with a focus on issues most relevant to South Sudan.
The workshop will include discussions on the relationship between the executive and legislature, parliamentary chamber design, the role of constituent units, and local government structures, including their functions, financing, and interaction with higher levels of government.
European Union Head of Mission to South Sudan, Ambassador Pelle Enarsson, expressed concern over the recent escalation of violence in the country, calling for dialogue and political agreements to halt the fighting and return to the full implementation of the peace agreement.
“European Union Head of Mission to South Sudan, Ambassador Pelle Enarsson
The increased and intensified violence that we have seen over the last few days is of utmost concern,” Enarsson said, while stressing that the constitution-making process must continue regardless of political developments.
He encouraged the NCRC to consider mechanisms to ensure continuity of its work beyond the current transitional period and reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting the process through its partnership with the Max Planck Foundation.
For his part, NCRC Chairperson Dr. Riang Yier Zuor said the workshop is the first to be held by the commission in 2026 and forms part of a broader federalism dialogue that started in 2024. He said the discussions would revisit previously covered topics to refresh participants’ understanding before delving into new areas, including comparative case studies from other federal systems.
Zuor expressed hope that the workshop would enhance the commission’s understanding of legislative and executive dynamics in federal governance and announced plans to seek support for an additional workshop focused on models and management of federal capitals.
He thanked the Max Planck Foundation for facilitating the workshops and the European Union for providing financial support to South Sudan’s constitution-making process.
