International Practice
20+ years advising on constitutional reform, democracy support and peace processes

For over 20 years, Sujit Choudhry has been an advisor on constitutional reform, democracy support and peace processes. including in Cyprus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Libya, Myanmar, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Choudhry has worked in a broad variety of contexts, including during ceasefires and conditions of political violence.

Much of Choudhry’s international work is through the Center for Constitutional Transitions, which he founded and directs. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Forum of Federations, and sits on the International Advisory Board of the International Institute for Integrated Transitions. He is currently co-convenor of the Initiative on Apex Court Appointments.

Expertise: from constitutional reform processes to security sector oversight

Choudhry’s expertise includes: transitions from violent conflict to peaceful democratic politics; transitions from authoritarian to democratic rule; constitution reform processes; security sector oversight; constitutional governance in ethnically divided societies; federalism, decentralization and secession; executive powers; constitutional courts and transitional justice; official language policy; minority and group rights; and bills of rights

Field Experience: Advising, facilitating, training and more

Choudhry’s experience includes: providing technical advice to multi-party dialogues; facilitating public dialogue sessions with civil society groups and other stakeholders; leading stakeholder consultations; performing detailed advisory work with technical experts; training civil servants and bureaucrats; engaging party leaders and parliamentarians; and drafting technical reports and memoranda in the field.

Selected international engagements

Africa

  • Legal consultant to International IDEA in relation to Sudan constitutional process, to provide technical advice on constitutional courts, executive powers, and federalism (present).
  • Legal consultant to International IDEA in relation to constitutional reform in Ethiopia (present).
  • Legal consultant to International Institute for Integrated Transitions, in relation to Constitutional Court appointment procedure in Zimbabwe (2020).

Asia

  • Legal consultant to International IDEA in relation to Myanmar peace and democratization processes, including technical support to Constitutional Tribunal, parliamentary committees, and the ethnic armed organizations/military dialogue (2019 to present, in Myanmar and Europe).
  • External expert for meeting of civil society leadership in Colombo, Sri Lanka, convened by the Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law, on security sector oversight (2019).
  • Participated in an expert consultation co-convened by the Center for Policy Alternatives (Sri Lanka) and International IDEA to advise Prime Minster Wickremesinghe on constitutional reform, including meeting personally with the Prime Minister to brief him on the results of our consultation (2015).
  • Engaged parliamentarians, civil society, and the diplomatic community in a public lecture, invitational workshop and private sessions, in Colombo, on power-sharing options (including electoral system design and executive powers) for Sri Lanka (2012).
  • Served on a team providing technical advice on the redesign of Nepal’s judicial system to adapt it to a federal structure through consultations with the legal profession and judiciary, in support of the Nepal Bar Association; and led workshops on official language rights for the indigenous peoples’ caucus of Nepal’s Constitutional Assembly (hosted by International IDEA), and on the right to self-determination for indigenous peoples under international law (hosted by UNDP) (2010).

Europe and United Nations

  • External expert for Track 2 meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus, convened by the Government of Canada and the Forum of Federations, hosted by the United Nations, on federal options for Cyprus (2019).
  • Launched report on semi-presidentialism to members of the Constitutional Commission of Ukraine in Kyiv at a high-level workshop co-convened by the European Union, the Venice Commission (European Commission for Democracy through Law), International IDEA, and the Center of Policy and Legal Reform (Ukraine) (2018).
  • Invited participant in Expert Group meetings in Geneva and New York on Transitional Justice and Atrocity Prevention to advise Pablo de Greiff, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence & Adama Dieng, UN Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the prevention of genocide (2017).
  • Co-chaired a two-day international meeting in Brussels to present the preliminary results of the Territory and Power project, in cooperation with the European Union External Action Service and hosted by the European Union Committee of Regions, attended by nearly 100 representatives of multilateral organizations (including the United Nations), regional organizations, MFAs, ODAs, NGOs, and technical advisors (2015).
  • Co-chaired an international meeting of experts from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, North America and Western Europe at the Canadian embassy in the Hague, in partnership with International IDEA, for the Security Sector Reform & Constitutional Transitions In Emerging Democracies project, to explore the role of security sector reform in constitutional reform processes (2014).

Middle East and North Africa

  • Legal consultant to Yemen multi-party dialogue, convened by International IDEA under the auspices of the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen as part of the peace process, including preparation of technical reports and working with political party leaders (2018 to present, in Tunisia and Europe).
  • Served as a senior international scholar in residence at the Academy of the Arab Association of Constitutional Law in Tunis, leading seminars and working intensively with emerging constitutional experts from across the Arab region (2016 & 2019).
  • Co-chaired an international meeting of experts from Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, North America and Western Europe at the Canadian embassy in Tunis, in partnership with International IDEA, for the Security Sector Oversight: Protecting Democratic Consolidation From Authoritarian Backsliding & Partisan Abuse project, to explore legal and institutional mechanisms for security sector oversight in transitional democracies (2014).
  • Directed the Constitutional Transitions Clinic (at the New York University School of Law), that deployed 40 student researchers from 11 countries stationed in the United States, Beirut, Cairo and Tunis to support International IDEA’s Middle East constitution building program; produced six technical reports (in English and Arabic) on constitutional design in the Middle East and North Africa, jointly published by International IDEA, CT, and (for three reports) UNDP, and served as the lead author on these reports; made two missions to Tunisia with the research team to present draft reports and consult President Marzouki, legal experts, parliamentarians with responsibility for the constitutional process, academic experts, civil society, and university students (2012 to 2014).
  • Member of a joint Egyptian-international expert group, convened by International IDEA in cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, to review a draft of the Egyptian constitution in Cairo (2013).
  • Drafted a report for International IDEA on design options for the Libyan constitutional process (prior to the election of the Constitutional Assembly of Libya), which addressed possible mechanisms to coordinate the work of the Constitutional Assembly and the General National Congress (GNC), and led a workshop in Tripoli with members of the GNC to review and discuss these options (2012 to 2013).
  • Participated as international expert in workshop convened by International IDEA to review a draft of the 2011 Jordanian constitutional amendments in Beirut (2012).
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