Civic education launched to collect views on permanent constitution

The National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC) has launched a nationwide civic education campaign to collect public views on the ongoing constitution-making process.

The campaign, which began this morning in Juba, will start in four states: Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria, and Western Bahr el Ghazal.

Speaking to the media, John Natana Abraham, the Secretary General of the Commission, said teams made up of seven members each have been dispatched to the four states to share information and gather feedback from communities.

Natana said the rollout of the civic education phase is a key step toward ensuring an inclusive and participatory constitution-making process.

He called on citizens to take ownership of the process, stressing that it must be people-driven and inclusive of all sectors of society.

“This process belongs to the people of South Sudan. We are taking the constitution to the grassroots so that every citizen, whether in rural or urban areas understands their rights and responsibilities in shaping the future of our nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Oyet Patrick, the Chairperson of the Civic Education and Public Consultation Committee, assured the public of the Commission’s continued transparency and accountability throughout the process.

Responding to concerns about public trust, Oyet said the NCRC has remained open in all its activities and will continue to act in the interest of the people.

He also revealed that the Commission will publish and share the outcomes of public consultations to ensure citizens’ views are accurately captured in the final draft of the permanent constitution.

According to Oyet, the civic education teams arrived in the four states on Monday and have already started meeting with state officials before moving on to engage local communities.

The campaign aims to raise awareness and promote citizen participation in drafting the country’s permanent constitution.

It is supported by partners including UNMISS, UNDP, UN Women, the Centre for Peace and Governance, JICA, among others.