The World Bank, in collaboration with the Swiss Government and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) organized this workshop for members of the Iraqi Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) and senior justice sector officials. The objectives of the workshop were: (i) to engage the CRC members and justice sector officials in discussion and dialogue with international experts on the two topics; and (ii) expose them to the Swiss experience (on the two topics) as well as to demonstrate other comparative experiences by leading experts from different regions and countries.
The workshop's program consisted of: (i) presentations and discussions during the morning sessions; and (ii) field visits to Swiss Federal and Cantonal institutions where further presentations and discussion were held on-site. To foster cross-regional exchange of knowledge and ideas, comparative experiences were examined via presentations made by eminent international experts from Brazil, India, Nigeria, South Africa, Canada and the United Kingdom. Swiss institutions that were visited include: the Swiss Council of States (second chamber), the State Chancellery of the Canton of Berne, the Cantonal Government of Basel-City, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, and the Cantonal Administration Court of Geneva. At these various institutions participants had an opportunity to engage with the highest-level Swiss officials, including the former President of Switzerland Mr. Arnold Koller who shared his experience with refroming the Swiss constitution. It is hoped that the workshop activities will help the participants make informed decisions as they move forward with shaping their own second chamber and federal judicial systems.
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