Partners in Fiji

CCF member Ponipate Ravula is interviewed at a protest in 2005 against the Fiji government’s reconciliation bill, which proposed to grant amnesty to the perpetrators of the 2000 military coup.

The Citizens' Constitutional Forum (CCF) is a non-partisan group that brings together religious, political and social leaders, women’s representatives, youth leaders, academics and other individuals in Fiji.

CCF was set up in 1995, initially to create opportunities for reflection and well-informed discussion of constitutional matters among Fiji’s citizens.

Its members played a critical role in promoting the official constitutional review that led to the 1997 Constitution. They held workshops in urban and rural areas throughout the islands to inform public debate and promote learning from international experiences on constitutional issues. They also sought to promote civil society and multiracial consensus as a counterweight to the communal orientation of Fiji’s political parties. This took the form of the Citizens’ Constitutional Charter, which later influenced the revised Constitution’s preamble.

CCF have increasingly acted as a watchdog on constitutional matters. During the May 2000 coup, they mobilized nationally and internationally to restore the 1997 Constitution. A landmark legal battle forced Fiji’s government to comply.

CCF continues to champion the constitutional rights of Fiji’s citizens, and campaigns to ensure politicians and public bodies abide by international agreements and obligations. Since the December 2006 coup it has been working to promote a constructive return to democracy.

CCF works closely with Fiji’s NGO Coalition on Human Rights, the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA) and also the University of the South Pacific in promoting alternatives to violence and awareness among all Fiji’s communities about their rights.