Global Knowledge Transfer

Since 2002, the working group “Global Knowledge Transfer” at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law has been providing legal support for transformation processes in numerous countries under the overall management of Rüdiger Wolfrum. These countries include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia amongst others. This legal support mainly took the form of consultation on the alteration of constitutions, the development of court systems as well as the training of decision makers and members of the civil society on issues of public and international law. Instruction and training were carried out following a comparative legal approach, taking into account the specific history of the individual countries as well as their political, socioeconomic and cultural requirements.

Since 2013 the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law took over responsibility for these projects from the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. In accordance with its founding statutes, the Foundation endeavors to support academia and research, including a global transfer of knowledge, in order to contribute to tolerance and understanding amongst nations and to champion democratic political systems and the rule of law. The Foundation adheres to the principles of political neutrality, independence and local ownership. The Foundation maintains close connections to the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, especially in the area of research.