Monrovia — In consonance of its constitutional provision, the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL) will hold an annual General Assembly (GA) scheduled for May 30-31, 2023.
As a constitutional provision, the leadership of the Council is mandated to hold an annual GA in May of every year with the aim of carving a way forward for the running of the Council.
The GA, which is the highest decision making body of the Council, gives delegates the opportunity to put forth ideas that are geared to enhance the growth and development of the NCSCL. Furthermore, the GA enables delegates to make major decision(s) on behalf of the Council.
However, this year's GA is expected to be held in one of the Region One counties that include: Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu Counties, and will primarily focus on constitutional amendment.
At the engagement, some existing laws that govern the running of the council will be critically examined so as to make amends by putting into place new laws that suit current day reality.
The issue of constitutional amendment is evidence from all indications, and as such, every CSO group has agreed that the leadership work to amend the entire constitution.
Predicated upon the need for constitutional amendment, the current leadership and member organizations had a mass meeting and agreed on the compelling need for amendment, thus deciding to make the issue a cardinal point for the GA.
"This year, the focus of the GA is on the Constitution, because we all agreed that the Constitution is void of a lot of things; it's empty. It's not specific - there are lots of things missing," says Madam Veronica Johnson, a senior member of the Council and a member of the Planning Committee of the ensuing GA.
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As part of the many efforts aimed at amending the current constitution, the leadership of the NCSCL headed by Chairperson Madam Loretta Alethea Pope-Kai, has set up an ad hoc Constitutional Review Committee that is reviewing the Constitution to present it to the body during the GA.
By this, the delegates will brainstorm and do whatever possible amendments to the existing legal instrument and adopt it as a body, something cannot be done unilaterally by any member of the leadership of the council except at the GA.
Accordingly, as required by law, the pending GA will be attended by representatives from member-based civil society organizations of the NCSCL. Currently, the Council is made up of nearly 2,500 registered members.
Meanwhile, in preparation of the GA, all CSOs are being invited to a proposed mass coordination meeting next week Tuesday to discuss key issues for the successful holding of the GA.
