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American University Professors and Affiliates Return from Visit to Assist Iraq in Drafting Constitution Reprinted from AU Media Relations Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – A contingent of experts from the Public International Law & Policy Group and AU's Center for Global Peace recently returned from Baghdad and Erbil after having spent several weeks assisting the Iraqi government in drafting the country’s new constitution. American University Professor Paul Williams and Scholar in Residence Carole O'Leary, along with Spence Spencer, Vladimir Matic, and AU Alumna Vanessa Jimenez participated in the project. These experts are available to discuss their experiences and prospects for the future of Iraq. American University's Center for Global Peace arranged for the team of advisors to go to Baghdad to meet with Dr. Humam Hamoudi, the head of the Iraq Constitutional Drafting Committee. Dr. Hamoudi is a key figure in the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). These meetings were possible because of the Center's long term relationship with the SCIRI leadership. For decades Professor Abdul Aziz Said, founding director of AU’s Center for Global Peace, has worked quietly and effectively to create a safe space for Iraqis to come together to construct a vision for their future--Arabs and Kurds, Shi'as and Sunnis. In keeping with the university’s mandate for global education, the Center for Global Peace, established in 1996, supports programs and initiatives that advance the study and understanding of world peace and are grounded in a search for a just and sustainable world order. By seeking to better understand the social, political, cultural, economic, and civic structures whose deterioration can lead to violence and social upheaval, the center identifies and supports measures to restore and enhance peace. The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) has been nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. They were nominated with the support of more than a half-dozen of PILPG's current and former pro bono clients for "significantly contributing to the promotion of peace throughout the globe by providing crucial pro bono legal assistance to states and non-state entities involved in peace negotiations and in bringing war criminals to justice." PILPG is a non-profit group, which operates as a global law firm providing legal assistance to developing states and states in transition involved in conflicts. To facilitate use of this legal assistance, PILPG also provides policy formulation advice and training on matters related to conflict resolution. To date, PILPG has advised more than fifteen countries and sub-state entities on the legal aspects of peace negotiation and post-conflict constitution drafting, and more than twenty countries and international institutions concerning the protection of human rights, self-determination and the prosecution of war crimes. PILPG specializes in four practice areas: peace building; war crimes; post-conflict political development and public international law. To provide legal advice and policy formulation expertise, PILPG draws on the volunteer services of more than 60 former legal advisors and former Foreign Service officers from the U.S. Department of State and other foreign ministries. PILPG also draws on pro bono assistance from major international law firms and graduate international affairs and law students from American University and Case Western Reserve. Contacts: Kathy Thompson, AU WCL Public Relations,
202-274-4279, Cell: 703-855-5556 To arrange for an interview with Williams, O'Leary, Spencer, Matic, or Jimenez, contact Kathy Thompson, 202-274-4279; cell: 703-855-5556; or Clark Gregor, 202-885-5935. |
Vol 1. Issue 3 |
March/April 2006 |
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