Event to debate constitutional courts in emerging countries

A seminar organized by Conectas and DIREITO GV (São Paulo Law School of the Getulio Vargas Foundation) for March 14 will discuss a book published in February by the University of Pretoria, in South Africa, on the workings of the highest courts of Brazil, India and South Africa, the three members of the IBSA Dialogue Forum. The event will be attended by Sandra Fredman, professor of Oxford University and one of the book’s co-authors.

The event will be held in English and registration is available on the website of DIREITO GV.

See the program:

9:00-9:30: Transformative constitutional jurisprudence: the importance of South-South comparison

Oscar Vilhena (DIREITO GV and Conectas Human Rights)

9:30-10:00: Gender and transformation in the South African Constitutional Court

Sandra Fredman (Oxford University, United Kingdom)

10:00-10:30: Debates

10:30-11:00: LGBT rights and the decisions of the Constitutional Court of India

Arvind Narrain (lawyer, Alternative Law Forum, New Delhi) (participation by video and online debate)

11:00-11:30: Challenges of the comparative research

Thiago Amparo (doctoral student in comparative constitutional law at Central European University – Budapest and assistant editor of IBSA Research) (participation by video and online debate)

Jed Kroncke (DIREITO GV)

Venue: Rua Rocha, 233. São Paulo

New study

The publication of the book Transformative constitutionalism: Comparing the apex courts of Brazil, India and South Africa, available in full for download, is the result of the collaborative research project “Justiciability of Human Rights – a comparative analysis: South Africa, Brazil and India”, which was coordinated by Conectas and involved a judge, academics and human rights defenders from these three countries. The team was coordinated in South Africa by Professor Frans Viljoen, in Brazil by Professor Oscar Vilhena Vieira and in India by Professor Upendra Baxi.

In addition to descriptions of the workings of these courts and analyses of civil society strategies to propose cases for them to hear, the book also carries thematic articles on: women’s rights and heteronormativity, religious freedom, the right to health, social movements and organized civil society, among others.