World Conference on Constitutional Justice
World Conference on Constitutional Justice
World Conference on Constitutional Justice
About
Since 1996, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (the Venice Commission) has cooperated with a number of regional or linguistic groups of constitutional courts. These include the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions, the Association of Francophone Constitutional Courts, the Commonwealth and Common Law Courts, the Conference of Constitutional Courts of Countries of Portuguese Language, the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa, the Conference of European Constitutional Courts, the Eurasian Association of Constitutional Review Bodies, the Ibero-American Conference of Constitutional Justice, the Southern and Eastern African Chief Justices’ Forum, and the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils. In pursuing the goal of uniting these groups and their members, the Venice Commission organized, together with the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the first Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (“the Conference”).
Based on the declaration adopted in the 1st Congress in 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa, the draft Statute of the Conference was prepared at the first meeting of the Bureau, assisted by the Venice Commission, in April 2009 in Mexico.
The draft Statute of the Conference was amended in the 2nd Congress held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2011 and finally adopted at another meeting of the Bureau on 23 May 2011 in Bucharest, Romania. With the accession of more than 30 Constitutional Courts, Constitutional Councils and Supreme Courts exercising constitutional justice, the Statute of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice entered into force on 24 September 2011.
According to its Statute, the Conference has three organs, which are the General Assembly, the Bureau and the Secretariat. The General Assembly is chaired by the Host Court of the Congress. The last host was the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Spain. The Presidency of the Bureau is ensured for one year by rotation between the groups. Therefore, the Bureau is not chaired by an individual court, but by the groups participating in the Bureau. From 23 September 2025 to 23 September 2026, the Bureau will be chaired by the Conference of Constitutional Courts of Countries of Portuguese Language. It is up to the groups to designate their representative. The Venice Commission acts as the Secretariat of the World Conference.
The World Conference on Constitutional Justice unites 125 Constitutional Courts/Councils and Supreme Courts from five continents (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia/Oceania and Europe). It promotes constitutional justice –constitutional review including human rights adjudication– as a key element for democracy, the protection of human rights and the rule of law.
The Conference pursues its objectives through organization of regular congresses, by participating in regional conferences and seminars, by orchestrating the share of experiences and best practices, and by offering good services to its members on request.
Turkish Constitutional Court joined the Conference in 2013. The Court was elected to the Bureau of the Conference at the 3rd Congress in Seoul and served in the Bureau until the 4th Congress in Vilnius (2015-2017). At the 5th Congress held in Bali, the Turkish Constitutional Court was re-elected as a member of the Bureau for a three-year term (2022-2025). The Court completed its term at the 6th Congress, held in Madrid, Spain, in 2025. During the 4th General Assembly, the Constitutional Court of Thailand was elected to the Bureau for a three-year term (2025–2028), representing the Asia/Oceania region.
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Congresses
The 7th Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice will take place in Egypt in 2028, where the next meeting of the General Assembly will also take place.
The 6th Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which was themed “The Human Rights of Future Generations”, took place in Madrid, Spain, from 28 to 30 October 2025. The event was hosted by the Constitutional Court of Spain. Representing Türkiye at the Congress were Constitutional Court President Kadir Özkaya, Vice President Basri Bağcı and Deputy Secretary General Mücahit Aydın.
The President of the Constitutional Court delivered a speech at the Congress session entitled “Preservation of the cultural heritage of humanity”. In his concluding remarks, President Özkaya emphasised that lawlessness, oppression and armed conflicts and wars perpetrated against humanity in various parts of the world cause immense and irreparable damage to cultural heritage. He noted that the situation in Palestine and Gaza currently exemplifies this most severely.
Following the Congress sessions, participants adopted the Madrid Communiqué. The 6th Congress recognised that constitutional justice must evolve to meet the demands of an intergenerational society, with a particular focus on the fundamental role of constitutional courts in safeguarding rights that extend beyond the present day.
Following the Congress, the 4th General Assembly Meeting of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice was held, attended by representatives of the Conference’s member courts. During the meeting, participants amended Articles 2, 4 and 9 of the Statute of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice. It was also agreed that steps should be taken to develop criteria for including new regional and linguistic groups within the structure of the World Conference Bureau.
Prior to the Congress, Kadir Özkaya, the President of the Constitutional Court, and his accompanying delegation attended meetings of the Asian Association of Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions and the European Conference of Constitutional Courts. These meetings were organised within the framework of the regional and linguistic groups of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice. The Constitutional Court delegation participating in the World Conference on Constitutional Justice Bureau meeting also held bilateral meetings with representatives of constitutional courts, councils, and supreme courts from many countries.
The 5th Congress on “Constitutional Justice and Peace” was hosted by the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, in Bali, Indonesia between 5-7 October 2022. In representation of Türkiye, Mr. Zühtü Arslan, the then President of the Constitutional Court, Mr. Selahaddin Menteş, Member of the Constitutional Court, and Mr. Murat Şen, the then Secretary General of the Constitutional Court, participated in the Congress. On the first day of the Congress, President of the Constitutional Court delivered a speech as the keynote speaker at the session “Application”. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye was elected as a member of the Bureau, the executive body of the WCCJ, at the General Assembly held on the second day of the Congress. The Turkish Constitutional Court will assume this duty for three years.
The 4th Congress on “The Rule of Law and Constitutional Justice in the Modern World” was held in Vilnius, Lithuania between 11 - 14 September 2017. The theme of the Congress was divided into four sub-topics: i) The different concepts of the rule of law; ii) New challenges to the rule of law; iii) The law and the state; iv) The law and the individual. On the basis of the replies to a questionnaire, each sub-topic was introduced by a key-note speaker and then discussed by the participants.
The then President of the Court and the accompanying delegation attended to the Congress.
An amendment to the Statute of the World Conference has been adopted by the General Assembly. Under the amended Statute, one representative from each four continent (Africa, Asia, America, and Europe) shall be elected for the Bureau term membership by the given continent. Countries that are members of constitutional justice conferences for two continents, such as Türkiye, shall vote for the election of the representatives of both continents. In the Vilnius Communiqué adopted at the end of the Congress, the principle of the rule of law and the independence of courts were underlined, and all kinds of unconstitutional attempts to undermine the state of law were condemned.
The 3rd Congress on “Constitutional Justice and Social Integration” was held by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Discussions were held on issues such as social integration challenges in a globalized world; international rules on social integration; constitutional instruments which enhance social integration; and the role of constitutional justice in the process of social integration. The delegation of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye delivered a speech at the Session III of the Congress.
2nd Congress, Rio de Janeiro, 2011
The 2nd Congress on “Separation of Powers and Independence of Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Bodies” was hosted by the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil in cooperation with the Venice Commission in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The topic was divided into following subtopics: i) Separation of powers and independence of constitutional courts and equivalent bodies; ii) Judicial independence as a human right; iii) The independence of the constitutional court as an institution; iv) The independence of individual judges; and v) Court procedures as a guarantee for independence.
The 1st Congress on “Influential Constitutional Justice: Its Influence on Society and on Developing a Global Human Rights Jurisprudence” was hosted by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa in cooperation with the Venice Commission on 22-24 January 2009 in Cape Town. The topic was divided into following subtopics: i) The role of constitutional courts and equivalent institutions in building the rule of law ii) The influence of constitutional justice on society; and iii) The development of a global human rights jurisprudence.