Overview：
　In present-day Africa, armed conflicts are raging in Darfur, Somalia, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other regions. Recently, conflict over the results of the presidential election in Kenya has led to many casualties and massive internal displacement of people.
Why does such hatred and killing continue in Africa, where cooperation and nation-building are so urgently needed for improvement of people’s livelihoods Building societies in which people can live and work in peace is the greatest challenge for the nations of Africa and their citizens.Constitutions provide a framework for democratic nation-building. The role that national constitutions have played towards peaceful resolution of conflict is the topic to be reported upon at this symposium by people engaged in research and humanitarian work in African conflict zones. The symposium will consist of two parts. In Part I, the cases of Rwanda and Kenya will be examined together with rapporteurs from African civil society. In Part II, the peace process to resolve the ongoing civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be examined by Professor Mbodj, who was involved in drafting the country’s new constitution, and by Dr. Yoichi Higuchi, a constitutional scholar, as commentator.

Program：
Friday, May 2nd 2:00-5:30 PM,
Part I: English, Japanese (simultaneous interpretation)
Session 1：　The Rwanda Genocide and 2003 Constitution
Presenter　Shin-ichi Takeuchi, Institute of Developing Economics
Commentator　El Hadji MBODJ （Professor, University of Cheik Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal;
　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　ex-Expert Lawyer in the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo）
Moderator　Toshiro Terada

Session 2：　Conflict and Gender in Africa
Presenter　Florence Mpaayei (Nairobi Peace Initiative (NPI)/Kenya)
Commentator　Immanuel Bombande (West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP)/Ghana)
Commentator　Misako Takizawa (J. F. Oberlin University)
Moderator　Hiroyuki Hara

Part II　6:30-8:00 PM French, Japanese, English (simultaneous interpretation)
Lecture:　The Role of the Constitution in Peaceful Resolution of Conflict in Africa
　　　　　　　A Case Study of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Presenter　EL Hadji MBODJ (Senegal, Jurist)
Commentator　 Yoichi Higuchi (Constitutional scholar)
Moderator　　Makoto Katsumata

Introduction of Speakers：
◆EL Hadji MBODJ
　 Mr. El Hadj MBODJ is a Professor of Public Law and Political Science at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal. Professor MBODJ has just completed his mission as an expert lawyer in the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he took part in the drafting of laws on decentralization and the Congolese judicial system.

◆ Yoichi Higuchi
Born in 1934. Constitutional scholar.? Engaged in teaching and research at Tohoku University, Tokyo University, Universite Paris 2, Sophia University and Waseda University.? Member of the Japan Academy and associate member of Institut de France.

◆ Reservations and Inquiries
Please mention “International Symposium May 2” in the title of your message, and let us know your name, affiliation (or student number), and contact information.

Contact:
International Peace Research Institute, Meiji Gakuin University (PRIME)
9th Floor, Main Building, Meiji Gakuin University
1-2-37 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8636
Tel: 03−5421−5652? fax:03−5421−5653
E-mail: prime@prime.meijigakuin.ac.jp

Documents in symposuim