The First Ten Years of the Asian Courts Association: Improving Intra-Asian Judicial Cooperation

Lutfi Chakim

Constitutional Court of Indonesia

Ten years ago, with the signing of the Jakarta Declaration on 12 July  2010, the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (the AACC) was established. The AACC is an autonomous, independent, and non-political international organization that aims to promote constitutionalism in Asia. It understands constitutional adjudication as a key element for the protection of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. 

As an Asian regional forum for constitutional justice, the AACC provides the opportunity for AACC members to regularly exchange ideas and share their experiences concerning constitutional adjudication. The idea of the forum is that judges from different Asian countries engage in a dialogue with each other to foster judicial networking and cooperation in the Asian context.  

In this article I consider the role of the AACC during its first ten years (2010-2020). I argue that the AACC should develop further its role and functions, and this can be done by expanding its membership, improving its working methods, and providing technical assistance to its members. 

Establishment and Membership 

Initial talks on the need to establish an association of constitutional courts in Asia began at the third Conference of Asian Constitutional Court Judges in Mongolia in September 2005. Several Asian countries, including Indonesia, Korea, Mongolia, and the Philippines, agreed with the establishment of the AACC. In October 2007, the Memorandum of Understanding on the Preparatory Committee for the establishment of the AACC was signed at the fifth Conference of Asian Constitutional Court Judges held in Korea. Finally, on 12 July 2010, the AACC was officially launched with the signing of the Jakarta Declaration on the Establishment of the AACC. Member countries then agreed to convene the Inaugural Congress in Korea on 24 May 2012. This Congress marks an important function for Intra-Asian judicial cooperation. 

The name of the Association refers to “equivalent institutions”, given that models for constitutional adjudication in Asia vary. Therefore, AACC members include not only constitutional courts but also other judicial institutions that exercise constitutional jurisdiction or at a minimum have the power to review the constitutionality of law and legislation. 

When it was established, the AACC comprised only seven member countries. At the time of writing, the AACC has eighteen members. These members include the institutions exercising constitutional justice in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, India, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.  

Asia is the world's largest and most diverse continent. Given that the AACC only has eighteen members, there are still many courts in Asia that one might be disappointed not to find on the AACC’s current list of members. This includes judicial institutions in Taiwan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and many more. 

In this context, the AACC should expand its membership. This may take a long time, and this process will succeed if the AACC continues to make a dialogue with non-member judicial institutions. However, when inviting candidates for membership, the AACC should take into consideration the extent to which the rule of law has taken root in that candidate’s institutional system. The protection of human rights and democracy are of particular importance. Membership of the AACC and willingness to cooperate demonstrates respect for the standards involved in democratic and human rights principles. 

Biennial Congress and the Role of the AACC Secretariats 

The AACC Statute indicates that the AACC has several forms of activity. For example, article 4 stipulates that the AACC shall have the following functions: to hold regular meetings; to organize activities such as symposia, workshops, and seminars; to facilitate sharing of experiences regarding constitutional case-law or adjudication and other judicial cooperation related to constitutional matters.  

One of the AACC’s important activities is to hold a biennial congress that is open to members, scholars, observers, and guests. The selection of the congress topic falls within the competence of the Board of Members as the AACC’s principal decision-making body. However, the topics that the AACC congress has chosen to date have generally been too broad. It would be better to consider specific constitutional issues that are currently happening and emerging as a problem in many countries. 

In carrying out its role, the AACC has three permanent secretariats with different functions. First, the Indonesian Constitutional Court hosts the Secretariat for Planning and Coordination (AACC SPC). This secretariat renders administrative support to the AACC and members, including planning and coordinating the activities of the AACC. Second, the Korean Constitutional Court hosts the Secretariat for Research and Development (AACC SRD). This secretariat plans, conducts and coordinates joint research activities, publishes an international journal, and manages a database of profiles and key decisions of members. Third, the Turkish Constitutional Court runs a Center for Training and Human Resources Development (AACC CTHRD) that organizes training programs, including a summer school, workshops, and similar programs within the framework of the AACC. 

Publishing Research and Reports 

To spread the ideas discussed during meetings, the AACC publishes research and book reports on comparative constitutional law and fundamental rights. It is hoped that the AACC publications will benefit the public with respect to the dissemination of information on Asian court, which will in turn promote the AACC’s purposes of protecting democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. 

This publication process is done by the AACC secretariats. The AACC SRD publishes fact files or compilations of factual material provided by member courts, including information regarding institutions and organizational structures, jurisdictions, and decisions. The AACC CTHRD has published reports from the AACC summer school concerning constitutional justice in Asia.  Lastly, the AACC SPC publishes conference reports, including presentation material and other documents related to AACC's work program. 

The AACC publications can be downloaded for free from the AACC website. Publishing books and material on comparative constitutional law can be a powerful way to spread an idea to the rest of the world. Books help spread awareness about issues and bring about change. 

Cross-Border Judicial Cooperation 

A further example of the AACC’s activities outside its biennial congress and conferences is cross-border judicial cooperation among AACC members. This includes conducting comparative constitutional research and cooperating in strengthening institutional capacities. An example of judicial cooperation between AACC members is through memoranda of understanding (MOU). 

Another interesting instance of judicial cooperation is the secondment program managed by the AACC SRD, which is based in the Korean Constitutional Court. The purpose of this program is to facilitate communication and cooperation among the AACC members. It especially aims to produce in-depth research papers in the field of comparative constitutional law in Asia, update and expand case law in its home jurisdiction, and participate at AACC research meetings and conferences. 

Moreover, the AACC can enter into cooperation with other international organizations connected  with constitutional matters. For instance, the Co-operation Agreement between the AACC and the Venice Commission was signed in Seoul in May 2012. The agreement entitles AACC member courts to actively contribute to the Commission’s CODICES database, which holds full-text files on landmark constitutional decisions. 

By virtue of this cooperation agreement, the AACC member courts through their liaison officers can have access to “the Venice Forum Newsgroup”. This enables courts to actively share information with each other, e.g., to make online announcements regarding recent key judgments and important conferences. Furthermore, the Venice Forum Newsgroup is also used by the Secretariat to inform liaison officers about accessions to the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ). Accordingly, the Indonesian Constitutional Court represented the AACC in the WCCJ Bureau Meeting forum that took place in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in February 2019. 

In 2017, the AACC also signed an MOU with the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdiction of Africa (CCJA) in Surakarta, Indonesia. The purpose of this MOU is to provide a framework for cooperation in the field of constitutional law, democracy, and human rights through the exchange of experiences and information. 

These kinds of cooperation need to be carried out in every constitutional matter, which can support each other in strengthening the constitutional adjudication system. Cross-border judicial cooperation can more firmly entrench human rights protection through constitutional adjudication in Asia and beyond. 

M. Lutfi Chakim is a Researcher at the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. 

Suggested Citation: M. Lutfi Chakim, ‘The First Ten Years of the Asian Court Association: Improving Intra-Asian Judicial Cooperation’ IACL-AIDC Blog (DD July 2020) https://blog-iacl-aidc.org/2020-posts/2020/7/21/the-first-ten-years-of-the-asian-courts-association-improving-intra-asian-judicial-cooperation