The Secretary-General of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) and Head of the Permanent Secretariat of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) for Planning and Coordination, Heru Setiawan, attended the Meeting of Secretary Generals (MSG) of the AACC on Thursday (September 5, 2024). Photo by MKRI/Bayu

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JAKARTA, HUMAS MKRI - The Secretary-General of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) and Head of the Permanent Secretariat for Planning and Coordination of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC), Heru Setiawan, attended the Meeting of Secretaries-General (MSG) of AACC, which took place virtually on Thursday, September 5, 2024. The meeting was hosted by the Constitutional Court of Thailand as the AACC President for the 2023–2025 term.

During the meeting, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Palestine provided feedback, particularly on the current situation in Gaza. Heru responded to this input, expressing agreement with the Palestinian delegation's remarks and affirming that, on behalf of the organization, they advocated for the essential values upheld by AACC members, including Palestine.

“I would like to inform you that during the March 2024 Bureau meeting of The World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ), the Indonesian delegation, as a Bureau member along with Thailand, fought for the values of justice, humanity, and human rights in Palestine, leading to a resolution by the WCCJ,” Heru said.

The key phrase in the resolution read: “In recent years, it has become clear that established principles of international law are being disregarded, threatening the rule of law globally. Therefore, Constitutional Courts and equivalent institutions firmly believe that comprehensive accountability for violations of international law, which underpins a rule-based international order, is necessary.”

Recognizing the need for a strong commitment to upholding justice, peace, and human rights globally, Heru emphasized that organizational solidarity was vital in promoting these values. As a result, MKRI proposed a statement that could be accepted by all delegations while continuing to advocate for the principles championed by the Palestinian delegation.

“We remain firmly committed to advocating for justice, peace, and human rights, and united against any actions that threaten the lives, security, freedom, and dignity of individuals and nations,” Heru stated.

Task Implementation Report

The MSG event was attended by delegations from Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, and Turkey. Heru also presented a report on MKRI’s duties as the Permanent Secretariat for AACC Planning and Coordination from June 2023 to August 2024.

First, the AACC Permanent Secretariat in Jakarta had completed the task of compiling and consolidating the AACC Statute and its amendments into a single, comprehensive document, as mandated by the Board of Members Meeting (BOMM) in Mongolia.

“With this task completed, we will soon publish it on the AACC website after reporting it at the upcoming Board of Members Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. The statute is available in both English and Russian, with the Russian version reviewed by the Constitutional Court of Russia,” Heru said.

Second, the three AACC Permanent Secretariats – the Secretariat for Planning and Coordination in Jakarta, the Secretariat for Research and Development in Korea, and the Secretariat for Training and Resources in Turkey – along with the Secretariat of the Thai Constitutional Court, had discussed aligning AACC activities and ensuring the successful implementation of future AACC programs. Preparations for the congress, BOMM, and MSG had included virtual meetings, and MKRI also conducted a working visit to Bangkok to specifically discuss preparations for the AACC congress.

Third, the Jakarta-based Permanent Secretariat received official information from the Secretary-General of the Russian Constitutional Court regarding the Federal Court of Iraq’s interest in becoming an AACC member. This matter was being followed up with the Federal Court of Iraq through diplomatic channels.

Additionally, moving forward, the Jakarta Permanent Secretariat planned to approach several potential member countries in Southeast Asia, such as Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam, and Timor-Leste, through information exchange and institutional capacity-building training. AACC members were also encouraged to engage with neighboring countries. To support these efforts, the AACC Secretariat had prepared a guide for open membership proposals, available on the AACC website.

In terms of organizational cooperation, the AACC Permanent Secretariat had also received a request from the Ibero-American Conference of Constitutional Justice (CIJC) to collaborate with AACC. Based on communications with the AACC Presidential Secretariat, it was informed that this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or cooperation agreement would first be thoroughly discussed within AACC.

Fourth, on June 23, 2024, a meeting took place in Algeria between the AACC Permanent Secretariat and the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdiction of Africa (CCJA) to prepare for the second AACC-CCJA Congress. During the meeting, it was revealed that Angola would likely host the second AACC-CCJA Congress, scheduled for 2025. In line with this collaboration, the latest issue of the AACC newsletter featured a special section containing updates from Africa.

Heru also mentioned that the AACC Volume 4 newsletter had been published in June 2024, summarizing important activities from AACC’s 20 member countries. Additionally, a short international course for AACC working-level members was held in August 2023, attended by 16 AACC member countries. For the first time, all three heads of the AACC Permanent Secretariats – Indonesia, Korea, and Turkey – served as speakers during the course. Heru also highlighted several international activities of all AACC members between June 2023 and August 2024.

Finally, Heru announced that the presidency of the Constitutional Court of Thailand as AACC President would end in 2025. The Constitutional Court of Uzbekistan had expressed its readiness to assume the AACC Presidency for the 2025–2027 term.

Author          : Mimi Kartika
Editor           : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator     : Agusweka Poltak Siregar (NL)

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version will prevail.

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