AACC Members Convene in BoMM during Fifth Congres

The Constitutional Court of Mongolia held the Fifth Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) on “Recent Developments of Constitutional Justice in Asia,” on Thursday, August 18, 2022 on-site and virtually from Ulaanbaatar. The Congress was attended by delegations of constitutional justice bodies of Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan and other countries.

The congress was opened by Chief Justice Chinbat Namjil of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia, who is also the president of the AACC for 2021–2023. Chairperson of the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan Kairat Mami (president of the AACC for 2019–2121) and Secretary of State Great Khural of Mongolia Zandanshatar Gombojav also gave their remarks.

Chief Justice Chinbat Namjil of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia said in his remarks, "The role of the Constitutional Court in the development of constitutionalism in the world is crucial. It is not only a measure of supremacy, but also a guarantee of constitutional maturity. However, the rapid development of science, technology, and electronic communication demands the improvement of the principles of the rule of law and constitutional supremacy."

The opening of the congress was followed by a Board of Members Meeting (BoMM) of the AACC, where the Constitutional Courts of Indonesia, Turkey, and Korea presented reports of their activities in 2021-2022 as the permanent secretariats of the association. Several issues were discussed at the BoMM, such as the proposed amendment to the association's statute on the addition of Arabic as one of its official languages ​​and the presidency term. The members' programs, and the association's finances; the membership application of the Constitutional Court of Palestine; and the upcoming conference between the AACC and the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa (CCJA) that will coincide with the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) Congress in Bali, Indonesia in October 2022 were also discussed.

AACC SPC's Report

Meanwhile, as the head of the Permanent Secretariat of the AACC for Planning and Coordination (SPC), Secretary-General M. Guntur Hamzah talked about several issues in his report. He revealed that the SPC had received Palestine's membership application and forwarded it to all AACC members to discuss at the BoMM.

Next, He also added that the SPC had received a mandate from the AACC president to initiate cooperation with the Ibero-American Conference of Constitutional Justice (CIJC) and the Association of Francophone Constitutional Courts (ACCF).

“We have established intensive communication with those two associations and are drafting an MoU. If it goes well, the MoU will be signed by the president of the AACC during the WCCJ Congress in October 2022 in Bali, Indonesia,” Guntur added.

The Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) is an Asian regional forum for constitutional justice established in July 2010 to promote the development of democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights in Asia by increasing the exchanges of information and experiences related to constitutional justice and enhancing cooperation and friendship between institutions exercising constitutional jurisdiction.